Efficacy of 3D-printed titanium mesh-type patient-specific im-plant for cranioplasty

(1) Background: Autologous bone grafting for cranioplasty is associated with a high infection rate and bone absorption. Synthetic implant materials for cranioplasty are emerging. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of titanium mesh-type patient-specific implants (PSIs) for patients with skull defects with dice similarity (DSC), clinical outcomes, and artifacts caused by implants. (2) Methods: This retrospective study included 40 patients who underwent cranioplasty with a titanium mesh patient-specific implant at our institution. Based on the preoperative and postoperative computed tomography scans, we calculated the DSC and artifacts. (3) Results: Calculated DSC of 40 patients was 0.75 and the noise was 13.89% higher in the region of interest (ROI) near the implanted side (average 7.64 HU±2.62) than that in the near normal bone (average 6.72 HU±2.35). However, the image signal-to-noise ratio did not significantly differ between the ROI near the implanted side (4.77±1.78) and normal bone (4.97±1.88). Patients showed no significant perioperative complications that required secondary operation. (4) Conclusions: Titanium mesh-type PSIs for cranioplasty has excellent DSC values with lower artifacts and complication rate