Neurological recovery after cranioplasty.

A patient who sustained a gunshot wound to the head was successfully treated with acute neurosurgical intervention. Six months after the injury, cranioplasty was used to repair a large skull defect. After cranioplasty, the patient developed significant improvement in motor function in his left upper extremity, which had been plegic after his injury. Although the mechanism of neurological recovery after cranioplasty is controversial, the occurrence of such improvement may be a sufficient indication for cranioplasty in certain patients.