Experience in the use of calvarial bone grafts in orbital reconstruction

It is now accepted that calvarial bone is a suitable material for grafting in the facial area. From an extensive experience of using calvarial grafts in all regions of the face, the orbit has been singled out for this study. A group of 222 patients who underwent 279 calvarial grafts has been examined. The majority of patients had post-traumatic or congenital deformities. Reconstructions were performed with split-thickness cranial bone grafts and in some cases, the full-thickness of the cranium was used. The follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 4 years with an average of 20 months. After the first operation, 86% of the sample attained satisfactory aesthetics on clinical examination. There were 13 (4.6%) complications, most occurring during harvesting full-thickness calvarial grafts. From this study it is seen that orbital reconstruction can be performed using calvarial bone to obtain satisfactory aesthetic and functional results. This can be accomplished with minimal donor site morbidity.