Ceramic 3D-Printed Titanium Cranioplasty
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN: Inlay cranioplasties following partial craniectomy in tumor or trauma cases and onlay cranioplasties for reconstructions of residual developmental skull anomalies are frequently performed using CAD-CAM techniques.
OBJECTIVE: In this case series, we present a novel cranial implant design, being a combination of 3D-printed titanium grade 23 and calcium phosphate paste (CeTi).
METHODS: The titanium patient-specific implant, manufactured using selective laser melting, has a latticed border with interconnected micropores. The cranioplasty is miniscrew fixed and its border zone subsequently partially filled with calcium phosphate paste to promote osteoinduction and osteoconduction. From April 2017 to April 2019, 8 patients have been treated with such a CeTi implant. The inlay cranioplasties were each time revision surgeries of complicated cases.
RESULTS: All implants were successful after a limited follow-up time (range 18-42 months). There were no dehiscences and no infections, and no complaints of thermal conduction.
CONCLUSIONS: The proposed CeTi cranial implant combines the strength of titanium implants with the biological integration potential of ceramic implants and seems particularly resistant to infection, probably due to the biofunctionalized titanium surface and the antimicrobial activity of elevated intracellular free calcium levels.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case series, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Combining in silico and in vitro approaches to identification of potent inhibitor against phospholipase A2 (PLA2)
- In silico and in vitro studies: investigating the chemical composition, DFT, molecular docking, and dynamic simulation of Satureja candidissima (Munby) Briq essential oil as a potential antibacterial agent
- Quercetin combined with ciprofloxacin and gentamicin inhibits biofilm formation and virulence in Staphylococcus aureus
- In silico study of the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of some N-methylanthranilates and their analogs
- Anticonvulsant Effects of Citronellal, Daidzin, and Phytol, Possibly Through GABAA Receptor and Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Interaction Pathways: In Vivo and In Silico Studies
- 2-Phenylcyclopropylmethylamine (PCPMA) Derivatives as D3R-Selective Ligands for 3D-QSAR, Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.