Cranioplasty using titanium miniplates for the repair of a comminuted fracture: Report of two cases

Abstract

To repair simple depressed fractures of the skull, wire ligatures are usually sufficient. However, complex depressed fractures of the skull in which the bone is smashed into fragments are difficult to reconstruct by wiring. Therefore, since bone flaps tend to be fragile and may result in a deformed appearance, the authors have used bone fragments combined with titanium miniplates to repair depressed skull fracture in two cases. These miniplates were originally developed for maxillofacial surgery, and are biologically quite stable. In the cases we describe, bone flaps that were smashed into fragments were sufficiently stabilized to resume the original cranial shape in a reconstruction using titanium miniplates. An extra advantage is that titanium miniplates rarely obscure intracranial structures on postoperative computed imaging. The cranioplasties were successful and the patients have had a favorable postoperative course.