TITANIUM MESH VERSUS AUTOLOGOUS BONE GRAFT CRANIOPLASTY

Abstract

Objective: To compare the efficacy of titanium mesh to autologous bone grafting in cranioplasty and assessing complications like seroma and abscess formations and subjective measures of pain.

Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Neurosurgery department, CMH Rawalpindi, from Aug 2017 to Dec 2018.

Methodology: Twenty patients (Women=12, Men=8) were randomly assigned to Titanium Mesh (TM) group and 20 patients (Women=7, Men=13) to Autologous Bone Graft (ABG) group. All were subjected to cranioplasty using Titenium Mesh and Autologous Bone Graft procedures to assess cranial seroma and abscess formation and pain.

Results: Comparison of pain on day 3 showed seven (35%) patients in titenium mesh group experienced pain compared to 14 (70%) patients in the autologous bone graft group, which was statistically significant (p<0.001). Similarly, a comparison on day 7, revealed that pain in the titenium mesh group reduced to five (25%) patients compared to 11 patients (55%) in the autologous bone graft group, which again was statistically significant (p<0.001). Four (20%) patients in titenium mesh group and 7 (35%) patients in autologous bone graft group developed seroma on day 3 and the difference was significant (p<0.001). Two (10%) patients in titenium mesh group and five (25%) patients in autologous bone graft group developed abscess, which was significantly different (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Cranioplasty using titenium mesh is better than autologous bone graft because complications like seroma, abscess and pain are attenuated in surgical cohorts.