Cranioplasty with a plate (titanium, protacryl, autograft) (without the cost of the plate)

What is Cranioplasty of the Skull?

Cranioplasty is a plastic surgery based on the closure of defects in the bones of the skull and dura mater resulting from trauma or surgery. There are different types of cranioplasty, but most of them involve lifting the scalp and restoring the contour of the skull using an original skull fragment or a specially shaped graft made from material such as:

• titanium (plate);
• protacryl (plate).

Improvement in the treatment of severe traumatic brain injury with increased surgical activity has led to an increase in the number of defects in the bones of the skull, which lead not only to cosmetic defects but are also accompanied by various functional and organic disorders of the brain function.

When do skull defects requiring surgery occur?

Reasons for the formation of defects:

• suffered injuries;
• decompressive craniotomy - the formation of a trepanation hole to reduce intracranial pressure in various pathologies;
• infectious and inflammatory processes - osteomyelitis of the bones of the skull, when the only treatment is to remove the affected tissue within the healthy bone;
• tumors of the skull;
• birth defects.

What are the indications for the operation?

Plate cranioplasty is performed in the following cases:

• severe pain;
• elimination of the possibility of re-injury (cerebroprotection);
• post-traumatic epilepsy;
• elimination of a cosmetic defect.

What materials are used to perform cranioplasty of the skull in our clinic?

To cover defects of the skull, depending on the material used, the following types of cranioplasty are currently used by neurosurgeons:

Autoplasty is a type of surgery in which a patch is made from the patient's bone tissue to cover the deformed area of the skull.

Alloplasty is the use of biologically compatible bone material taken from a donor to reduce the deformity. In particular, cadaveric material is used. The use of bone plates has a number of limitations associated with the ability of bones to dissolve.

Xenoplasty is the use of artificial materials (titanium, protacryl) since they are the safest for the patient, take root well, and do not cause complications.

Solid biomaterial (pre-fabricated individual implant that exactly matches the contour and shape of the skull).

The shape of the flap that will be used to overlap the damaged bones of the skull is determined in advance from individual impressions using 3D modeling.

Stereolithographic modeling (3D) technology allows you to almost accurately close the bone defect, maximizing the reconstruction of the bone flap.

How is cranioplasty of the skull performed?

The price of cranioplasty at Dobrobut Medical Center depends on the type of material used and the operation technique. The cost of artificial materials is not included in the price of the cranioplasty of the skull.

Cranioplasty of the primary type is based on the removal of broken bones and their fragments with jags. The site of the skull injury is covered with plates immediately after the removal of the depressed bones.

A more delayed early type of cranioplasty is considered to be more difficult in terms of technique. The period of application of the patch is up to 7 days after the first operation when the broken, dented bones of the skull are removed. This method is usually used in a patient with non-penetrating damage to the skull or after surgery to correct closed fractures.

Late surgery is performed 2 months after the primary surgery. Such a delay is prescribed for traumatic brain injury.

How to sign up for an operation at the Dobrobut MS?

At the Dobrobut Medical Center in Kyiv, our neurosurgeons perform cranioplasty with a plate on a routine basis using the most modern technology and equipment.

You can sign up for a consultation with our MS Dobrobut specialists by leaving a request on our website, or by calling the call center number.

Bibliography

1. Archavlis E, Carvi Y, Nievas M: The impact of timing of cranioplasty in patients with large cranial defects after decompressive hemicraniectomy. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 154:1055–1062, 2012
2. Bender A, Heulin S, Röhrer S, Mehrkens J-H, Heidecke V, Straube A, et al.: Early cranioplasty may improve outcome in neurological patients with decompressive craniectomy. Brain Inj 27:1073–1079, 2013
3. Chang V, Hartzfeld P, Langlois M, Mahmood A, Seyfried D: Outcomes of cranial repair after craniectomy. J Neurosurg 112:1120–1124, 2010
4. Anthony Wiggins, Richard Austerberry, etc - Cranioplasty with custom-made titanium plates--14 years experience. Published online, February 2013.