Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 7, 2026
3D Planning and Printing of Patient Specific Implants for Reconstruction of Bony Defects
Published on: August 4, 2020
Cranial Reconstruction Using Autologous Bone and Methylmethacrilate
Nenad Novaković1, Ana Malivuković, Ljubodrag Minić
1*Department of Neurosurgery, Military Medical Academy †Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Military Medical Academy ‡Innovation Center of the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade §Department for Peripheral Nerve Surgery, Functional Neurosurgery and Pain Management Surgery, Clinic for Neurosurgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
Background:
Having in mind the importance of reconstruction of the calvaria, our goal was to compare the complication rates following the use of autologous bone and methylmethacrilate grafts, and explain the factors influencing them.
Methods:
The authors collected information of all the patients undergoing cranial reconstructive surgery (N = 149) at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade. Procedures were performed either using a craniotomy bone flap, removed and replaced in the same act, or using methylmethacrilate. These 2 groups were compared using the Chi-squared test, controlling for the confounding influence of the size of the defect.
Results:
Intracranial neoplasms were the cause for the reconstruction in 71.1% of patients. The total complication rate was 7.4%, while the infection rate was 5.4%. The infection rate was significantly higher in those procedures done using methylmethacrilate (11.3% compared with 2.1%, P = 0.017), but when controlling for the confounding effect of the size of the defect treated, the difference in infection rate was significant only in large defects (13.9% compared with 2%, P = 0.031), while for small defects the difference was not statistically significant.
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that the material used for reconstruction of calvaria influences the infection rate only in large and complicated defects. Considering the importance of the reconstruction, further studies should explore and confirm the role of material type on the rate of complications.
