Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep 15:22:e41.
eCollection 2022.

Hardness of Artificial Bone and Vulnerability of Reconstructed Skull-A Biomechanical Study

Tomohisa Nagasao  1 , Tomoki Miyanagi  1 , LinXuan Wu  1 , Asako Hatano  2 , Tadaaki Morotomi  3
Affiliations

Hardness of Artificial Bone and Vulnerability of Reconstructed Skull-A Biomechanical Study

Tomohisa Nagasao et al. Eplasty. .

Abstract

Background: Various materials are used to reconstruct cranial defects. The present study focuses on what happens when reconstructed skulls are impacted in trauma situations. Using biomechanical analysis, the present study elucidates how the hardness of reconstruction material affects the vulnerability of reconstructed skulls.

Methods: A 3-dimensional finite element model was produced simulating the skull of an intact adult male. A defect was made on the left hemi-frontal part of the skull model. The defect was restored with artificial bone with 3 different hardness models. These models were respectively defined as Hard Model (simulating reconstruction with titanium), Moderate Model (simulating reconstruction with a material equivalent to human bone), and Soft Model (simulating reconstruction with hydroxyl apatite). Virtual impacts were applied on these models in 9 patterns, and the conditions of subsequent fracture were evaluated using finite element analysis. For each of the 9 impact patterns, the conditions of subsequent fracture were compared among the 3 models.

Results: In 8 of the 9 impact patterns, the condition of fracture was more widespread for Hard Model than for Moderate Model and Soft Model.

Conclusions: Skulls reconstructed with a hard material can develop serious fracture if they are impacted again. Therefore, usage of hard materials should be avoided to prevent serious injuries from secondary trauma.

Keywords: bone; finite element analysis; reconstruction; simulation; skull fracture.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 10
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Meyyappan A, Jagdish E, Jeevitha JY. Bone cements in depressed frontal bone fractures. Ann Maxillofac Surg. 2019;9(2):407-410. doi:10.4103/ams.ams_155_1910.4103/ams.ams_155_19 - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jeyaraj P. Split calvarial grafting for closure of large cranial defects: the ideal option?. J Maxillofac Oral Surg. 2019;18(4):518-530. doi:10.1007/s12663-019-01198-w10.1007/s12663-019-01198-w - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jasielski P, Czernicki Z, Dąbrowski P, Koszewski W, Rojkowski R. How does early decompressive craniectomy influence the intracranial volume relationship in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients?. Neurol Neurochir Pol. 2019;53(1):47-54. doi:10.5603/PJNNS.a2018.0002 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ma X, Zhang Y, Wang T, et al. . Acute intracranial hematoma formation following excision of a cervical subdural tumor: a report of two cases and literature review. Br J Neurosurg. 2014;28(1):125-130. doi:10.3109/02688697.2013.81531610.3109/02688697.2013.815316 - DOI - DOI - PubMed
    1. van de Vijfeijken SECM, Groot C, Ubbink DT, et al. . Factors related to failure of autologous cranial reconstructions after decompressive craniectomy. J Craniomaxillofac Surg. 2019;47(9):1420-1425. doi:10.1016/j.jcms.2019.02.00710.1016/j.jcms.2019.02.007 - DOI - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources