Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
Minimally Invasive Thumb-sized Pterional Craniotomy for Surgical Clip Ligation of Unruptured Anterior Circulation Aneurysms
Published on: August 11, 2015
Pediatric cranio-facial surgery. First-year's experience with a gun applying bioabsorbable tacks
S Spanio1, E Novack, R Gurunluoglu
1Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Vicenza, Italy.
Aim:
In 2001 a prototype of a gun to apply bioabsorbable tacks in cranio-facial surgery has been developed.
Methods:
From May 2001 to May 2002 this device has been used in the University Hospital of Innsbruck (Austria) for different cranioplasty procedures, in 34 children, showing its reliability for cranio-facial bone fixation. The children were affected by isolated craniosynostosis or by syndromical synostosis (Apert, Crouzon) and in a case of benign tumor of the parietal skull vault. The range of age, at the time of surgery, was between 3 months and 204 months of age. Bone segments were fixed using self-reinforced polylactide plates and tacks.
Results:
Firm fixation was obtained intra-operatively and the operative time was reduced about 25-30 minutes as compared to use of plates and screws. This device has just one limitation in its own spring force: sometimes the bone thinner than 1 mm has been broken applying the tacks.
Conclusion:
After the first-year's experience it is possible to confirm that this device reduces, in selected cases, operative time, blood loss, risk of infection and, as a result, the costs.
