title: Cranioplasty: why throw the bone flap out?
abstract: Patients who undergo decompressive craniectomy for intracranial hypertension often require interval cranioplasty. Many cranioplasty agents are currently in use. The authors suggest that storage of the patient's own bone flap in the subcutaneous tissue of the abdominal wall, is a safe, efficacious and cost-effective alternative to use of synthetic cranioplasty materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Flannery
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: McConnell
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000601:surgery*; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000379:methods*; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D012086:Reoperation / Q000379:methods; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014021:Tissue Preservation / Q000379:methods*