Individual skull reconstructions made of titanium

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Individual skull reconstructions made of titanium are solutions for treating skull defects in cases of trauma, tumors, bone diseases and congenital malformations.

The most common causes of loss of the skull bone ( calotte ) undoubtedly arise from injuries (breakage or shattering) in the event of a fall or other acts of violence ( trauma ). Defects in the bony structures often remain more or less large, which lead to the fact that even after the soft tissue has healed, the covering scalp lies on the underlying meninges (dura mater) and grows together with it. But also a deliberate, surgical removal ( craniectomy ) of parts of the cranial bone is necessary if the brain swells and the intracranial pressure increases after a force or bleeding in the brain ( stroke ). Under certain circumstances, parts of the skull will then be removed by the surgeon to allow the brain to expand. Clinically, however, the loss of an implant or replant after a craniectomy is of particular importance .

Titanium implants made anatomically true to shape have proven to be optimal bone substitutes. These secure the anatomical positioning of the brain and protect against further injuries. Before the operation, the reconstruction of the defect is planned on the basis of computer tomographic data in virtual reality . The manufacture of individual titanium implants for large bony defects in the area of ​​the skullcap is clinically successful and already established. Based on X-ray tomography (computed tomography, CT) of a patient, it is possible to use Computer Aided Design (CAD) to construct a precisely fitting titanium implant for the bony defect. The data for the manufacture of this implant are then transmitted to a computer-controlled milling machine. Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) enables the high-precision manufacture of the implant, which is obtained from a block of pure titanium.

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