Plagiocephaly Surgery

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in plagiocephaly surgery.  I was wondering what procedure would be better to reshape the plagiocephaly of my head. I have seen that there is a procedure done in South Korea where they use bone cement to remodel the shape of the head. I was wondering what opinion you had about that procedure or the use of an implant. what are the pros and cons? I really appreciate it and thanks in advance Dr. Eppley.

A: A custom skull implant is almost always better than bone cement for almost any form of skull augmentation for the following reasons:

1) it can be put int through a smaller scalp incision,

2) it can cover a broader surface area in a smoother fashion,

3) the shape of the augmentation and all of its details is determined before surgery and is not left up to the ‘artistry’ and hands of the surgeon,

4) it has a much lower rate of revision due to inadequate augmentation, irregularities or visible implant edge transitions that are far more common with bone cements, and

5) it is very easily reversible if needed. A silicone skull implant be fairly easily removed.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana