How Can I Fix The Dent On the Side Of My Head After A Temporal Craniotomy?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Looking for corrective treatment/implant for the right side of my head following a fall I had 6 years ago. As part of the previous repairs the doctors had inserted a bone-plate which was never fully configured, right-sized, or shaped to the contours of my head.

A:By your history and your picture, I am going to assume you had an intracranial bleed from a fall requiring a temporal craniotomy. The craniotomy bone flap was put back and you now have a resultant right temporal contouir deficiency. While there may be a bony contour issue almost certainly this is a loss of temporal muscle volume which is very typical of temporal craniotomies. Regardless of the cause of 3-D CT skull scan is needed to determine whether the craniotomy bone flap has a good contour and this is just a soft tissue muscle issue or whether some form of a bone augmentation is needed as well.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Plastic Surgeon