Zhai Zhen, Yu Lu, Ren TianJian, Jin Xiaolei, Yang Xiaonan, Qi Zuoliang
Department No. 16 of Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College.
Department of Neurological Surgery, Beijing Tian Tan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
J Craniofac Surg. 2019 May/Jun;30(3):838-840. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000005181.
Cranioplasty is generally defined as the procedure to reconstruct cranial bone defect arising from congenital or acquired process. As a surgical remedy, it can restore the function of original anatomical structure and produce a satisfactory cosmetic outcome. Although with available options for treating pediatric cranioplasty, large format (ie, >25 cm) cranioplasty of the aborted one with a composite defect is still a challenging procedure for plastic surgeons. The authors herein present a case of child who suffered failed cranioplasty with polyetheretherketone caused by postoperative infection, leading to skin ulcer and exposure of the polyetheretherketone. The treatments of the patient are performed sequentially. After thorough debridement of the wound, vacuum-assisted wound closure and autologous split-thickness skins are successively used to cover the defect following finally adopted strategy of tissue expansion of the scalp with a 3-dimensional-printed epoxide acrylate maleic composite material to repair the large-sized cranial defect.
