Clinical Application of the Calcium Phosphate Cement (PolyBone®) for the Skull Bone Defects after Microvascular Decompression

Abstract

Objective: Skull bone defects after microvascular decompression (MVD) were usually troublesome to the patients and surgeons. Recently, the use of calcium phosphate cements has become more common in craniofacial surgery because of several advantages. We retrospectively studied clinical usefulness of newly developed calcium phosphate cements (PolyBone, Kyeung-won med., Seoul, Korea) in cranial reconstruction after MVD operation. Methods: From January 2007 to December 2008 we performed retrosigmoid craniotomy in 20 patients with trigeminal neuralgia or hemifacial spasm. Calcium phosphate cements was used as a bone mineral substitute to repair the surgically induced bone defects in cranium. Results: Mean follow up period was 12.15±4.35 months. There was no inflammatory reaction surrounding the implanted materials and no air or cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Postoperative plain x-ray of skull showed good healing and shaping of suboccipital bone at the surgical defect in all patients. The material could be seen as a dense, radio-opaque structure without the material artifacts. Conclusion: We have demonstrated calcium phosphate cement is useful to repair and augment the surgically induced bone defects for cranio-facial surgery especially for small defects of the after MVD. (J Kor Neurotraumatol Soc 2010;6:53-56)