Objective: To study and design a modified cranioplasty, and to explore the effectiveness so as to reduce the incidence rate of operative complications.
Methods: A total of 68 patients with craniocerebral trauma or hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage between August 2012 and March 2014 were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups. The standard decompress craniectomy and under-temporal cranioplasty were performed in 32 cases (group A), and several small bone chips were placed under-tempus during decompress craniectomy and then the shape of temporal muscle was designed and the temporal muscle was reconstructed at the attachment sites during cranioplasty in 36 cases (group B). No significant difference was found in gender, age, side of operation, cause of injury, time between injury and decompress craniectomy, and time between postoperation and cranioplasty between 2 groups (P > 0.05). Then the postoperative complications were compared between the 2 groups.
Results: Primary healing of incision was obtained in all patients. The patients were followed up 12 months on average (range, 6-16 months) in 2 groups. The follow complications occurred in group A: 4 cases of asymmetric appearance (12.50%), 12 cases of temporal muscle atrophy (37.50%), 6 cases of temporal pain and masticatory atonia (18.75%), 2 cases of epilepsy (6.25%), 9 cases of leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (28.13%), 1 case of cerebral contusion and laceration (3.13%), and 1 case of cerebral hemorrhage (3.13%); temporal muscle atrophy was observed in 2 cases (5.56%) and the rate of complication was significantly lower than that in group A (P < 0.05). The symmetrical appearance of the skull and good function were achieved in the other patients having no complication.
Conclusion: New technique of setting bone chip markers during decompress craniectomy and reconstructing temporal muscle during cranioplasty can reduce the incidence of complications and thus it is an effective surgical procedure.