The main purpose of the reconstruction of the cranium is the protection of the brain. Besides we have to consider important functional and aesthetic necessities in order to achieve satisfactory ...results.
Thirty-six clinical cases, operated from November 1991 to June 1996, in which the reconstruction of the cranial vault is carried out by a polymethylmethacrylate acrylic resin are analysed. The causes and locations of the most common bone defects and the main indications for reconstruction are examined. While the repair of the osseous gaps caused by neoplasms is immediate, in the traumatic occurrences, in order to reduce the probability of infectious complications, an average time of 11 months elapsed from the first operation. The surgical technique, with slightest alterations, is the same in all the presented cases, preparing the acrylic resin straight on the operating table. The resin, moulded and adapted to the defect until its complete hardening, presents, thanks to its properties, manifold advantages (and few real disadvantages).
The results, in terms of complications, are very satisfactory, with an infectious rate of 2.7%. Besides, in one third of the patients, a considerable clinical improvement after the repair has been observed.
According to personal experience, it is possible to affirm that polymethylmethacrylate, with its remarkable plasticity and stability in time, can always guarantee a satisfactory functional and aesthetic result.
