Can A Custom Skull Implant Be Made To Complete A Bone Cement Augmentation of My Forehead Done Previously?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had a cranioplasty surgery done over 15 years ago which filled in my large brow bone and dents in my forehead. We did an MRI of my skull. He cut me from ear to ear and went that far with the cranioplast. The problem is that he did not raise the top of my head. My head looks very flat and slopes down to the back of my head. I wanted to know if I could get a custom implant to fit along with the cranioplast and raise the top of my head. I can sent a picture of what I am referring to.

A: Thank you for your inquiry and sending your pictures. Certainly a custom skull implant can be designed to raise the top of the head and otherwise create an overall head shape that matches better with the prior anterior cranioplasty procedure. The 3D CT scan will clearly show the PMMA material of the forehead and brow bone areas from which the design of an implant to create the desired changes to the rest of the skull can be done. The existing scalp scar provides a convenient point of access to place the implant.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana