Customized Cranioplasty Implants Using Three-Dimensional Printers and Polymethyl-Methacrylate Casting
- Authors
- Kim, Bum-Joon; Hong, Ki-Sun; Park, Kyung-Jae; Park, Dong-Hyuk; Chung, Yong-Gu; Kang, Shin-Hyuk
- Issue Date
- 12월-2012
- Publisher
- KOREAN NEUROSURGICAL SOC
- Keywords
- Decompressive craniectomy; Reconstructive surgical procedure; Computer-aided design; Polymethyl-methacrylate
- Citation
- JOURNAL OF KOREAN NEUROSURGICAL SOCIETY, v.52, no.6, pp.541 - 546
- Indexed
- SCIE
SCOPUS
KCI
- Journal Title
- JOURNAL OF KOREAN NEUROSURGICAL SOCIETY
- Volume
- 52
- Number
- 6
- Start Page
- 541
- End Page
- 546
- URI
- https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/106755
- DOI
- 10.3340/jkns.2012.52.6.541
- ISSN
- 2005-3711
- Abstract
- Objective : The prefabrication of customized cranioplastic implants has been introduced to overcome the difficulties of intra-operative implant molding. The authors present a new technique, which consists of the prefabrication of implant molds using three-dimensional (3D) printers and polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) casting. Methods : A total of 16 patients with large skull defects (>100 cm(2)) underwent cranioplasty between November 2009 and April 2011. For unilateral cranial defects, 3D images of the skull were obtained from preoperative axial 1-mm spiral computed tomography (CT) scans. The image of the implant was generated by a digital subtraction mirror-imaging process using the normal side of the cranium as a model. For bilateral cranial defects, precraniectomy routine spiral CT scan data were merged with postcraniectomy 3D CT images following a smoothing process. Prefabrication of the mold was performed by the 3D printer. Intraoperatively, the PMMA implant was created with the prefabricated mold, and fit into the cranial defect. Results : The median operation time was 184.36 +/- 26.07 minutes. Postoperative CT scans showed excellent restoration of the symmetrical contours and curvature of the cranium in all cases. The median follow-up period was 23 months (range, 14-28 months). Postoperative infection was developed in one case (6.2%) who had an open wound defect previously. Conclusion : Customized cranioplasty PMMA implants using 3D printer may be a useful technique for the reconstruction of various cranial defects.
- Files in This Item
- There are no files associated with this item.
- Appears in
Collections - College of Medicine > Department of Medical Science > 1. Journal Articles
Items in ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.