Rigid but nonmetallic cranioplasty after pterional craniotomy: Technical note

Background: Given the popularity of pterional craniotomy, numerous modifications have been made to prevent postoperative deformities. With the advent of titanium plates, fixation has become both simple and excellent. However, titanium plates can cause skin problems, infection, or cause skull growth to fail.

Methods: To develop a simple, cost-effective, and esthetically satisfactory fixation method, without the use of non-metallic materials, six young and older patients underwent pterional craniotomy. CranioFix Absorbable clamps were used to fix the bone flap in the frontal and temporal regions such that the frontal part was in close contact with the skull. After fixation, the bone chips and bone dust were placed in the bone gap and fixed with fibrin glue. We measured the computed tomography values of the reconstructed area and thickness of the temporal profiles postoperatively over time.

Results: Bone fusion was achieved in all patients by 1 year after surgery. Both the thickness of the temporalis muscle and the thickness of the temporal profile had changed within 2 mm as compared with the preoperative state.

Conclusion: Our simple craniotomy technique, gentle tissue handling, and osteoplastic cranioplasty yielded satisfactory esthetic results and rigidness in pterional craniotomy.