Cranioplasty using polymethyl methacrylate implant constructed from an alginate impression and wax elimination technique.

UNLABELLED Summary DESIGN This is a retrospective review of the record charts. SETTING A joint study by maxillofacial and neurosurgical units, department of surgery, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana, a tertiary and premier health care centre. PARTICIPANTS Seventeen consecutive patients with various cranial defects treated using prefabricated acrylic methyl methacrylate implants. INTERVENTIONS The cranioplasty on all the patients took place at an average of about 12 months after the initial surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES These included complications during and after surgery. X-ray views of the skull, ranging from true lateral to anterior-posterior, were taken at follow-up and examined to ascertain the stability of the graft by looking out for any adverse bony changes around it or loosening of any of the steel sutures securing it to the skull. RESULTS A total of 17 patients (5 males and 12 females) with a mean age of 30.4 years were treated. Follow-up period ranged from 9 months to two years. In all cases the surgical procedure was uneventful and the cosmetic results were good. There was no significant change in the size and shape of the preformed methyl methacrylate implant after autoclaving. CONCLUSION Cranioplasty using prefabricated acrylic methyl methacrylate implants apart from being affordable also ensure shorter operative time and good aesthetic result.