title: A review of reconstructive materials for use in craniofacial surgery bone fixation materials, bone substitutes, and distractors.
abstract: Over the last 40 years, craniofacial surgery, in general, and surgery for craniosynostosis, in particular, has witnessed the introduction of a number of new materials for use in operations involving the cranial vault. Some of these materials have proven quite useful over time, while others have failed to meet their stated objectives. In this review, the more popular implant materials are analyzed, and their relative merits and drawbacks are discussed. Craniofacial surgery in the pediatric population has its own unique limitations, quite different from the adult population and those issues are reviewed as well.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Leo Davidoff Department of Neurological Surgery, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York, USA. goodrich@aecom.yu.edu
authors.forename: James Tait
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Goodrich
authors.forename: Adam L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Sandler
authors.forename: Oren
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tepper
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D001863:Bone Screws; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003398:Craniosynostoses / Q000601:surgery*; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D018786:Bone Substitutes