Clinical article

NeurosurgeoNs frequently have cranial bone flaps cryopreserved after craniectomies when signifi-cant cerebral edema is present or anticipated. Af-ter the edema has resolved, patients undergo a second operation for cranioplasty. Allograft bone is not commer-cially available to match the thickness and contour of the skull. If necessary, a synthetic prosthesis can be manu-factured. However, these patient-specific prostheses are very expensive. The patient’s cranial bone flap matches the surgical defect, and, thus, surgeons often prefer this autograft for the cranioplasty. Currently, there is no standard method for processing patients ’ autografts. At some institutions, including the Clinical significance of positive cranial bone flap cultures and associated risk of surgical site infection after craniotomies or craniectomie