Cranioplasty is a common neurosurgical procedure. Free-hand molding of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cement into complex three-dimensional shapes is often time-consuming and may result in disappointing cosmetic outcomes. Computer-assisted patient-specific implants address these disadvantages but are associated with long production times and high costs. In this study, we evaluated the clinical, radiological, and cosmetic outcomes of a timesaving and inexpensive intraoperative method to mold custom-made implants for immediate single-stage or delayed cranioplasty. Data were collected from patients in whom cranioplasty became necessary after removal of bone flaps affected by intracranial infection, tumor invasion, or trauma. A PMMA replica was cast between a negative form of the patient's own bone flap and the original bone flap with exactly the same shape, thickness, and dimensions. Clinical and radiological follow-up was performed 2 months post-surgery. Patient satisfaction (Odom criteria) and cosmesis (visual analogue scale for cosmesis) were evaluated 1 to 3 years after cranioplasty. Twenty-seven patients underwent intraoperative template-molded patient-specific cranioplasty with PMMA. The indications for cranioplasty included bone flap infection (56%, n015), calvarian tumor resection (37%, n010), and defect after trauma (7%, n02). The mean duration of the molding procedure was 19±7 min. Excellent radiological implant alignment was achieved in 94% of the cases. All (n023) but one patient rated the cosmetic outcome (mean 1.4 years after cranioplasty) as excellent (70%, n016) or good (26%, n06). Intraoperative cast-molded reconstructive cranioplasty is a feasible, accurate, fast, and cost-efficient technique that results in excellent cosmetic outcomes, even with large and complex skull defects.Keywords Patient-specific implant . Cranioplasty . Skull bone flap . Bone replacement material polymethyl methacrylate-PMMA . Brain tumors . Trauma . Brain
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Despite rapid advances in the development of materials and techniques for endovascular intracranial aneurysm treatment, occlusion of large broad-neck aneurysms remains a challenge. Animal models featuring complex aneurysm architecture are needed to test endovascular innovations and train interventionalists.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:The choice of the experimental aneurysm model is essential for valid embolization-device evaluations. So far, the use of the rabbit venous pouch arterial bifurcation aneurysm model has been limited by demanding microsurgery, low aneurysm patency rates, and high mortality. This study aimed to facilitate microsurgery and to reduce mortality by optimized peri-/ postoperative management.
Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a disease with devastating complications that leads to stroke, permanent neurological deficits and death. Clinical and ex-perimental work has demonstrated the importance of the contribution of delayed cerebral vasospasm (DCVS) indepen-dent early events to mortality, morbidity and functional out-come after SAH. In order to elucidate processes involved in early brain injury (EBI), animal models that reflect acute events of aneurysmal bleeding, such as increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) and decrease in cerebral perfusion pressure, are needed. In the presented arterial shunt model, bleeding is initially driven by the pressure gradient between mean arterial blood pressure and ICP. SAH dynamics (flow rate, volume and duration) depend on physiological reactions and local anatomical intrathecal (cistern) conditions. During SAH, ICP reaches a plateau close to diastolic arterial blood pressure and the blood flow stops. Historical background, anaesthesia, perioperative care and monitoring, SAH induction, technical considerations and advantages and limitations of the rabbit blood shunt SAH model are discussed in detail. Awareness of technical details, physiological characteristics and appropriate monitoring methods guarantees successful implementation of the rabbit blood shunt model and allows the study of both EBI and DCVS after SAH.
For ruptured human cerebral aneurysms endovascular embolization has become an equivalent alternative to aneurysm clipping. 1 However, large clinical trials have shown disappointing long-term results with unacceptable high rates of aneurysm recanalization and delayed aneurysm rupture. 2 To overcome these problems, animal experimental studies are crucial for the development of better endovascular devices. [3][4][5] Several animal models in rats, rabbits, canines and swine are available. [6][7][8] Comparisons of the different animal models showed the superiority of the rabbit model with regard to hemodynamics and comparability of the coagulation system and cost-effectiveness. [9][10][11] The venous pouch arterial bifurcation model in rabbits is formed by a venous pouch sutured into an artificially created true bifurcation of both common carotid arteries (CCA). The main advantage of this model are true bifurcational hemodynamics. 12 The major drawbacks are the sofar high microsurgical technical demands and high morbidity and mortality rates of up to 50%. 13 These limitations have resulted in less frequent use of this aneurysm model in the recent years. These shortcomings could be overcome with improved surgical procedures and modified peri-and postoperative analgetic management and anticoagulation. [14][15][16] Our techniques reported in this paper demonstrate this optimized technique for microsurgical creation of arterial bifurcation aneurysms.
This descriptive study demonstrates that estimated MIP cylindrical volumes differ from those measured by MPR segmentation volumetry. With the increasing acquisition of 3D data as 3D-MRA and the increasing need for exact volume determination, studies on the accuracy of computational segmentational volumetry of CE-MRA are necessary.
Complex bilobular, bisaccular, and broad-neck microsurgical aneurysm formation in the rabbit bifurcation model demonstrates a high long-term patency rate but is complicated by high rates of unrelated procedural mortality and morbidity. There is no need for prolonged (>4 weeks) anticoagulation to achieve good long-term patency in complex venous pouch bifurcation aneurysms.
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