page_title: Alloplasty
section_title: Defect reconstruction
hierarchical_section_title: Alloplasty / Current use in Medicine / Defect reconstruction
caption_attribution_description: English: From CT-Scan to CAD design to 3D printed Titanium Cranial Implant
context_page_description: Alloplasty is a surgical procedure performed to substitute and repair defects within the body with the use of synthetic material. It can also be performed in order to bridge wounds. The process of undergoing alloplasty involves the construction of an alloplastic graft through the use of computed tomography, rapid prototyping and "the use of computer-assisted virtual model surgery." Each alloplastic graft is individually constructed and customised according to the patient's defect to address their personal health issue. Alloplasty can be applied in the form of reconstructive surgery. An example where alloplasty is applied in reconstructive surgery is in aiding cranial defects. The insertion and fixation of alloplastic implants can also be applied in cosmetic enhancement and augmentation. Since the inception of alloplasty, it has been proposed that it could be a viable alternative to other forms of transplants. The biocompatibility and customisation of alloplastic implants and grafts provides a method that may be suitable for both minor and major medical cases that may have more limitations in surgical approach.
context_section_description: Alloplasty is a method for synthetic implants to be inserted into the body to aid physical and mental function. The procedure can be performed to reconstruct defects such as cranial defects. A common synthetic material used in the production of alloplastic grafts for craniotomy is heat-cure polymethyl methacrylate resin due to being nonconductive, radiolucent, light in weight and is easily modified to smoothly mould to the shape of the skull. The non-conduciveness and biocompatibility of polymethyl methacrylate resin and alloplastic materials in general, provides the ability for alloplastic implants to be used in aiding brain defects that may have been caused by decompressive craniectomy. Porous titanium implants can also be used to correct calvarial defects such as "subdural hematoma and meningioma". Implants promote bone formation in osseous defects created by trauma or surgical intervention. Custom stock prosthetic implants reconstruct the cranial defects where the skull is too fragmented to be recovered or where bone has become infected and is required to be replaced. Cranial implants are placed and secured through surgical stabilisation using surgical wires, mini plates and screws to fill gaps in the bone of the skull, called the bone flap. The conduct of alloplasty on the cranium restores lost or deficient use of the brain through the repair of mechanical defects, but is also able to provide fixations for cosmetic purposes to restore natural anatomy.
caption: Implant creation sequence: CT scan to CAD to 3D printed titanium cranial implant
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