Objective To investigate the operative procedure and the effectiveness of cranial bone reconstruction after one-stage resection of scalp squamous carcinoma invading the skull. Methods Between January 2005 and December 2008,14 patients with scalp squamous carcinoma invading the skull were treated. There were 6 males and 8 females with a median age of 53 years (range, 29-76 years). The disease duration ranged from 3 to 8 years (mean, 6 years). The tumor locations were right temporal area in 2 cases, left temporal area in 2 cases, right frontal area in 3 cases, left frontal area in 1 case, right occi pital area in 1 case, left occi pital area in 2 cases, frontal area in 2 cases, and the top of the head in 1 case. Scalp lesions showed exogenous growth, and lesion diameter ranged from 5 to 12 cm (mean, 8 cm). TNM classification showed T4N0M0 tumor in all cases. MRI showed that tumors invaded the skull, 12 cases had smooth intradural side and 2 cases had brain involvement without lymph node metastasis or detected distant metastasis. Under general anesthesia, all the lesions of the scalp, skull, dura, and brain tissue were removed completely. The size defect of the scalp, skull, and dura ranged from 8 cm × 7 cm to 15 cm × 14 cm, from 5 cm × 4 cm to 12 cm × 12 cm, and from 4 cm × 4 cm to 9 cm × 8 cm, respectively, which were repaired with artificial patch, titanium metal, mesh, and local flaps, respectively. The donor site was repaired by spl it-thickness skin graft. Results The skin flaps and grafts survived and incision healed by first intention without cerebrospinal fluid leakage, intracranial and subdural hemorrhage, andother compl ications. All patients were followed up 2 to 5 years (mean, 4 years), and no recurrence was found. The compatibil ity of titanium mesh and local tissue was good. The patients had good hair growth without exposure of titanium mesh, seizures, partial paralysis, and other neurological damage performance. Conclusion After one-stage resection of scalp squamous carcinoma invading the skull, it is effective to reconstruct the skull with titanium mesh and to repair dural defects with artificial dura.
Objective To investigate the clinical application of self-cranial bone powder in one stage cranioplasty．Methods From October 1999 to December 2002,self-cranial bone powder and medical adhesive were used to repair the skull defect, for one stage cranioplasty, caused by operations on cranium in 128 casesof severe dangerous craniocerebral injury, acute intracranial hematome, sick skull and intracranial tumor．The bone growth was observed by CT or X-ray examination 3-24 months after replantation of cranioplasty．Results The decompression and cranioplasty were performed simultaneously, the time prolonged 5-10 minutes than that of routine, the appearance of repaired cranial bone was normal, without concavity and convexity. After 12 months of operation, the replanted bone merged with the normal bone completely, with normal appearance. The operation successful rate was 96.1%(123/125) without any complication. Only fivecases were not better in growing because of less bone powder, but withoutcerebral pulse and defective syndrome. All the cases did not need secondary cranioplasty．Conclusion The effect of cranioplasty with self-cranial bone powder effect is good in taking shape. This new method can avoid the traditional secondary cranioplasty for skull defect and complications．
ObjectiveTo investigate the technique and the effectiveness of digital three-dimensional (3-D) titanium mesh in repairing skull defect under the temporalis and reconstructing temporal muscle attachment points. MethodsBetween January 2009 and December 2012, 58 patients with skull defect after decompressive craniectomy at the frontal temporal region were treated. Of 58 patients, 33 were male and 25 were female, aged 17-62 years (mean, 36.2 years). The disease duration was 15 weeks to 25 months (mean, 5.8 months). The size of skull defect ranged from 8 cm×6 cm to 15 cm×12 cm. The patients underwent skull impairment patch surgery with digital 3-D titanium mesh and reconstruction of the temporal muscle attachment points at titanium mesh temporal corresponding position. ResultsThe operation time was 60-100 minutes (mean, 87 minutes). After operation, 2 cases had slight red swelling with little exudation at skin incision margin, which was cured after symptomatic treatment; 2 cases had symptom of headache, which disappeared after incision healing; primary healing of incision was obtained in the other patients. Fifty-eight patients were followed up 6-24 months (mean, 16 months). The patients were satisfied with shaping, and had no chewing pain. Head CT after operation showed good fixation of titanium mesh and titanium nail, and satisfactory skull shape symmetry; no postoperative complication of subcutaneous effusion, intracranial bleeding, titanium mesh loosening, or titanium mesh exposure occurred. ConclusionThe surgery technique of digital 3-D titanium mesh to repair skull defect in frontal temporal region and to reconstruct temporal muscle attachment points at the corresponding position of titanium mesh, basically can obtain anatomical reduction of the skull, frontal temporal, and each layer of scalp. It has the advantages of less complication, less titanium nail, and satisfactory shape.
Objective To investigate the value of bridged dural suspension for cranioplasty by using three- dimensional moulding titanium mesh. Methods A retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 156 patients with skull defects, who underwent cranioplasty using three-dimensional moulding titanium mesh between April 2012 and October 2015. Bridged dural suspension was performed in 73 patients (bridging group) and routine cross mesh dural suspension in 83 patients (routine group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, and causes, duration, and area of skull defects between 2 groups (P > 0.05), and they were comparable. The operation time, hospitalization time, and postoperative complication were recorded for analysis. Results The operation time was (86.7±13.5) minutes in bridging group and was (84.3±16.3) minutes in routine group, showing no significant difference (t=1.061, P=0.290); but hospitalization time of bridging group [(16.8±2.7) days] was significantly shorter than that of routine group [(18.7±5.7) days] (t=-2.661, P=0.009). Postoperative complications occurred in 16 patients of routine group (19.3%), including epidural hydrops in 13 cases, epidural hematoma in 2 cases, and epidural infection in 1 case, while epidural hydrops occurred in 4 cases of bridging group (5.5%). There was significant difference in complication rate between 2 groups (χ2=6.616, P=0.010). All patients were followed up 5-46 months (mean, 25.2 months). The satisfactory cosmetic results of the skull were obtained, and CT images showed good coverage of defect. Conclusion Bridged dural suspension for cranioplasty is more simple and effective than routine cross mesh suspension, and it is beneficial to reduction of postoperative complications.
Objective To explore the effectiveness of two-stage operation on free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap transplantation and skull contour reconstruction in the treatment of head titanium mesh exposure complicated with soft tissue infection. Methods Between January 2015 and December 2021, 13 patients with head titanium mesh exposure complicated with soft tissue infection were admitted. There were 9 males and 4 females with a mean age of 42.9 years (range, 23-64 years). The duration of titanium mesh exposure was 22-609 days (median, 102 days). The wound site located at the frontal part in 3 cases, the parietal part in 1 case, the occipital part in 2 cases, the frontal-parietal part in 1 case, the temporal-parietal part in 4 cases, and the frontotemporal part in 2 cases. The titanium mesh had been taken out in 5 patients before admission, leaving skull defect and shape collapse, with signs of infection. The bacterial culture was positive in 7 cases and negative in 6 cases. The imaging examination revealed that the size of the skull defect ranged from 6 cm×5 cm to 21 cm×17 cm and the scalp defect ranged from 1 cm×1 cm to 15 cm×10 cm. The soft tissue infection did not reach dura in 5 cases, reached dura in 6 cases, and reached frontal sinus in 2 cases. The two-stage surgical protocol was used in all patients. In the first-stage operation, the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap was designed to repair the skull and scalp defects after removing the titanium mesh and thorough debridement. The size of muscle flap ranged from 13.5 cm×4.0 cm to 21.0 cm×17.0 cm, and the skin flap ranged from 7.0 cm×4.0 cm to 15.0 cm×10.0 cm. After the flap survived and stabilized, the second-stage operation was performed. The titanium mesh was implanted to reconstruct the skull contour. The size of titanium mesh ranged from 7.0 cm×6.0 cm to 21.5 cm×17.5 cm. The interval between the first- and second-stage operations was 3.7-17.8 months, with an average of 11.4 months. The survival of the skin flap, the appearance of the head, and the presence of re-exposed titanium mesh and infection were observed after operation. Results At the first-stage operation, venous embolism occurred in 1 case, and no obvious abnormality was observed after treatment. All the flaps survived and the incisions healed by first intention. Besides, the incisions of the second-stage operation healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 1-96 months (median, 14 months). During follow-up, no exposure to titanium mesh, infection, or other complications occurred. The appearance satisfaction rate of the patients was 92.31% (11/13). There was no significant difference in the skull contour between the affected side and the healthy side in all patients. Conclusion For the head titanium mesh exposure with soft tissue infection, the application of two-stage operation on free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap transplantation and skull contour reconstruction can reduce the risks of implant exposure and infection again by increasing the thickness of the scalp and blood supply, filling the wound cavity, and obtain good effectiveness.