The impact of cranioplasty on the patients' quality of life

• Published in: Journal of cranio-maxillo-facial surgery Vol. 47; no. 5; pp. 715 - 719
• Main Authors: Worm, Paulo Valdeci, Finger, Guilherme, Ludwig do Nascimento, Tobias, Rynkowski, Carla Bittencourt, Collares, Marcus Vinicius Martins
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Scotland Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2019
• Subjects: Cranial reconstruction; Cranioplasty; Dentistry; Humans; Neurosurgical procedures; Patients; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures; Retrospective Studies; Skull; Trauma; Cranial reconstruction; Cranioplasty; Trauma; Neurosurgical procedures; Quality of life
• ISSN: 1010-5182; 1878-4119
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcms.2019.01.040

To evaluate the quality of life in patients with moderate or large cranial bone defects before and after late cranioplasty. Authors performed a prospective clinical trial including all consecutive patients that filled inclusion criteria during a period of 1 year. All patients answered the quality of life SF-36 questionnaire in 5 different times. Besides authors gathered information about the primary trauma and demographic characteristics. A total of 70 consecutive patients were admitted to the hospital during the study period, and 62 were included in the project. Cranioplasty statistically improved patients' quality of life in all 8 domains after a 24 months follow-up. Cranioplasty has a significant impact over the quality of life in brain trauma victims who survived the primary trauma and harbor a large cranial bone defect.