Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Traditional method of cranioplasty has many disadvantages such as modeling and shaping for long time in-operation and patients unsatisfied with their appearance after repair. Since introducing the computer aided design technology (digitalization-shaping) to neurosurgery, the clinical effect of individual repair for cranial defect is satisfactory．
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effect of digital titanium mesh shaping on skull.
METHODS: Totally 198 patients were treated with Phase Ⅱ skull shape using titanium mesh, and then were divided into two groups: digital titanium mesh group (96 cases) and tradition-method group (102 cases). In the digital titanium mesh group, head CT scanning was used for obtaining skull and cranial defect data which was transmitted to the digital titanium mesh shaping manufacturing company in order to get individual prefabricated titanium mesh material for cranial repair. In the tradition-method group, titanium mesh was made by hand temporary for repair during intraoperation.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the digital titanium mesh group, the digital titanium mesh was tight fit with bone window edge, the satisfaction of appearance was 100%, average operating time was shortened about 45 minutes and no complications occurred in hematoma under the scalp, infection and repair materials exposed postoperatively. In tradition-method group, one case with repair materials exposed, two cases with incision infection and four cases with hematoma under the scalp were found postoperatively. So digital titanium mesh shaping for cranioplasty can shorten the operation time, reduce the complications in repair materials exposed and secondary infection, and obtain the satisfactory effect on shaping.