title: Quantitative computed tomography and cranial burr holes:  a model to evaluate the quality of cranial reconstruction in humans.
abstract: Current methods to evaluate the biologic development of bone grafts in human beings do not quantify results accurately. Cranial burr holes are standardized critical bone defects, and the differences between bone powder and bone grafts have been determined in numerous experimental studies. This study evaluated quantitative computed tomography (QCT) as a method to objectively measure cranial bone density after cranial reconstruction with autografts. In each of 8 patients, 2 of 4 surgical burr holes were reconstructed with autogenous wet bone powder collected during skull trephination, and the other 2 holes, with a circular cortical bone fragment removed from the inner table of the cranial bone flap. After 12 months, the reconstructed areas and a sample of normal bone were studied using three-dimensional QCT; bone density was measured in Hounsfield units (HU). Mean (SD) bone density was 1535.89 (141) HU for normal bone (P < 0.0001), 964 (176) HU for bone fragments, and 453 (241) HU for bone powder (P < 0.001). As expected, the density of the bone fragment graft was consistently greater than that of bone powder. Results confirm the accuracy and reproducibility of QCT, already demonstrated for bone in other locations, and suggest that it is an adequate tool to evaluate cranial reconstructions. The combination of QCT and cranial burr holes is an excellent model to accurately measure the quality of new bone in cranial reconstructions and also seems to be an appropriate choice of experimental model to clinically test any cranial bone or bone substitute reconstruction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Hospital São José, Brazil. pauloworm@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Paulo Valdeci
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Worm
authors.forename: Nelson Pires
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Marcelo Paglioli
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Jorge Luiz
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kraemer
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lenhardt
authors.forename: Ronnie Peterson Marcondes
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Ricardo Castilho
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Wunderlich
authors.forename: Marcus Vinicius Martins
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Collares
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015519:Bone Density; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012886:Skull / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014207:Trephining / Q000379:methods*