Reconstruction of surgical skull defects with hydroxylapatite ceramic buttons and granules.

This paper is to report a new method of reconstructing surgical skull defects with hydroxylapatite ceramics. The latter consist of Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 which has a biological affinity with mammalian bone minerals. The author has designed two cranioplastic materials using hydroxylapatite ceramics: apatite buttons for burr hole skull defects and apatite granules for linear skull defects. The bone defects during 100 cases of standard craniotomy were successfully reconstructed with these materials with satisfactory cosmetic results. Hydroxylapatite ceramics are characterized by the excellent biocompatibility and biostability with a resultant bony fusion.