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Updated: Aug 7, 2026
A Craniotomy Surgery Procedure for Chronic Brain Imaging
Published on: February 15, 2008
Technique for in-office cranial bone harvesting
Maisa O Al-Sebaei1, Maria B Papageorge, Tony Woo
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
Purpose:
This is a report of a technique of cranial bone harvesting suitable for the outpatient setting.
Materials And Methods:
Bone scrapers are used for the harvesting of cranial bone shavings with the patient under intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.
Results:
Graft volumes larger than that usually obtainable from intraoral sites and the tibia have been harvested utilizing this technique. In a series of 8 first patients, the largest volume of bone obtained was 14 cc with no complications related to the donor sites. These cases include the following types of pre-implant reconstructive procedures: large unilateral sinus grafting, bilateral sinus grafting/guided-bone regeneration of an entire alveolar ridge, inlay grafting of the alveolus, inlay grafting in association with distraction osteogenesis, subnasal grafting, alveolar cleft grafting, closure of large oroantral defects combined with sinus grafting, and grafting of an grossly atrophic mandible with simultaneous placement of dental implants via the submental approach.
Conclusion:
This is a safe bone harvesting technique providing an alternative source of autogenous bone graft.
