Challenging frontiers in neuroplastic cranial reconstruction: addressing neurosurgical wound healing complications through interdisciplinary collaboration - an observational study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Although rare, complications like skin dehiscence and necrosis after neurosurgery pose significant challenges by increasing the risk of infections spreading to the epidural, subdural, or intracerebral spaces. This retrospective, single-center study aims to assess the prior clinical courses, neuroplastic repair, and outcomes of  patients with skin defects following cranial neurosurgical procedures, and to outline our interdisciplinary reconstructive protocol.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on cranial surgeries conducted at the Department of Neurosurgery,  spanning from 2017 to 2023. Patients with skin defects requiring the combined expertise of neurosurgery and plastic surgery for effective treatment were included. The sizes of the skin defects were measured using intraoperative photographs analyzed with the freeware ImageJ software, version 2018. All patients provided informed consent for the surgeries. If informed consent was not possible due to neurological deterioration, consent was sought from adult representatives or next of kin except for acute circumstances. All patients admitted to our hospital agree to the pseudonymized use of their medical data and tissue specimens for research purposes in their treatment contract.

RESULTS

A cohort of 24 patients experiencing wound healing complications after neurosurgical procedures underwent a total of 29 interdisciplinary surgeries for the reconstruction of skin, dural, and bone defects.  After the neuroplastic surgery, 8 out of 24 patients (33.3%) developed surgical complications, with 6 of these requiring revision surgeries due to persistent cranial infection.  In all cases,  permanent wound closure was successfully achieved following adherence to the proposed treatment algorithm.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study underscores the necessity of an integrated neurosurgical and plastic surgical approach to effectively manage wound healing complications in a single stage surgery. Key interventions include differentiation between necrosis and gaping lesions, alongside precise management of neurosurgical issues like cerebrospinal fluid fistulas and hydrocephalus. Plastic surgical expertise in assessing the possibilities and limitations of both local and free flap surgeries is essential.