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Presentation Description
Institution: Auckland City Hospital - Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand
Background
Paediatric cranioplasty is critical for restoring cranial integrity and facilitating optimal neurodevelopment in children. Traditional methods, such as autologous bone flaps/grafts or synthetic materials, possess inherent limitations. This study outlines the use of autologous particulate calvarial bone grafts for paediatric cranioplasty at Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand.
Methods:
A retrospective analysis was conducted on seven paediatric patients who underwent cranioplasty using autologous particulate calvarial bone grafts in 2023 at Auckland City Hospital. The procedure involved harvesting calvarial bone, morselising it, and combining this with the patient's blood and fibrin glue to form a pâté used as an inlay graft. Data on patient demographics, indications, cosmesis, complications, and bone resorption were collected.
Results:
Seven patients, mean age of 2.7 years (three males, four females), underwent cranioplasty using the described method. Indications included trauma, congenital cranial abnormalities, and prior neurosurgical procedures. The mean operative time was 227 minutes, with a mean follow-up period of 8.6 weeks. All patients exhibited satisfactory cosmetic outcomes and no patients displayed bony resorption at the initial clinic follow-up. One patient developed a calvarial concavity due to excess ventricular shunting, though the underlying bone remained clinically solid.
Conclusion:
Our preliminary data demonstrates that autologous morselised calvarial bone graft is a safe and effective method for pediatric cranioplasty, offering an alternative technique for reconstructing cranial defects in this population. Long term follow-up and a larger sample size are needed to validate this technique.
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Authors
Authors
Dr Ali Sarfarazi - , Mr Jonathan Wheeler -