Delayed minimally invasive cranioplasty

Minimally invasive cranioplasty is presented. Stereolithography is a new technology applied for the manufacture of custom-made cranial prosthesis that can provide an accurate reproduction of difficult anatomical contours of large cranial defects. The pre-operative development of perfect-fit prostheses permits a significant decrease in the operative time, in the overall costs of surgery, as well as on the rate of complications observed in patients with large cranial defects. At the end, this paper reviews the current concepts of application of engineering into medicine.