Biomechanical analysis of hydroxyapatite cement cranioplasty

A recent review of the authors' experience with hydroxyapatite (HA) cement cranioplasties revealed a high infection rate. During removal of these implants, all were loose and fractured. Forty percent of these patients had a history of minor trauma at the site of cranioplasty before experiencing infection. Minor trauma may fracture HA cranioplasties and result in infection. The purpose of this study is to determine the force to fracture full- and partial-thickness cranial defects reconstructed with HA cement and to compare peak loads of differing HA cement cranioplasty techniques. Standardized craniotomy defects were created in five fresh cadaver heads. Full-thickness defects were reconstructed with either rigid or flexible titanium mesh and then covered with HA cement. Partial-thickness defects were reconstructed with HA alone. After setting, a uniaxial impact was delivered to each of the defects. Peak loads were recorded, and defects were examined for evidence of fracture.Predictable fractures of the HA cranioplasties occurred at 1200 N in all full-thickness defects reconstructed with mesh and a thin layer of HA. Implant loosening and chipping was similar to what was seen clinically in the authors' patients with infections. Full-thickness defects in which titanium mesh was shaped like a cup and filled with a thick layer of HA resist fracture at 1200 N. Partial-thickness defects reconstructed with HA alone also do not fracture at this peak load. Patient selection, defect characteristics, and reconstructive techniques are factors that need to be considered before using HA cement for cranioplasty purposes.