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Case 02 · Complex case

Large cranial defect reconstruction

A large, left-sided cranial defect extending through a temporal cut - reconstructed as a single patient-specific implant spanning most of the skull's dome, with a perforated lattice for osseointegration.

RegionLeft fronto-parietal, through temporal cut
SoftwareMaterialise Mimics · 3‑matic
DesignPerforated lattice, fixation tabs
StatusComplex case

This defect covered far more surface area than a typical cranioplasty - a large left-sided section of the skull, with the defect margin running down through a temporal cut rather than stopping at the crown. A single implant this size has to do two things at once: follow a long, irregular defect boundary precisely, and stay light enough, through the perforated lattice, to encourage real bone integration rather than just sit as a cap over the gap.

Full-dome coverage

The implant spans most of the left side of the skull's dome, well beyond a typical single-defect plate - designed as one continuous piece rather than segmented parts.

Temporal cut margin

The defect boundary extends down through a temporal cut, so the implant edge had to be planned along a more complex, curved margin than a purely cranial defect.

Perforated for osseointegration

A dot-pattern perforation across the implant body allows bone and tissue to integrate with the plate over time, rather than leaving a solid barrier.

Fixation tabs

Anchor points are positioned along stable bone at the defect margin, keeping the implant secured without interfering with the perforated field.

A single plate, two views

The full extent of the defect and the implant's fit are easiest to read from the front three-quarter and lateral angles - showing how far the reconstruction runs past the crown and down toward the temple.

The bigger the defect, the less room there is to get the margin wrong - every centimetre of that boundary has to be planned, not approximated.

Working on a complex case?

Large or irregular defects are exactly where a patient-specific approach matters most. Send over the DICOM data and a brief description - I'll confirm feasibility within a few hours.

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