Cranioplasty is an operation used to restore the integrity of the skull after injuries, previous surgical procedures, and gunshot wounds. It is divided into four types:
- primary cranioplasty is performed two days after the injury,
- primary delayed cranioplasty is performed within two weeks after surgery,
- early cranioplasty is performed within two months after the skull injury,
- late cranioplasty is performed within a year after the injury.
Materials for cranioplasty
Materials for cranioplasty abroad and in Russia must comply with safety standards. When selecting an implant, its biological compatibility, resistance to stress and absence of carcinogenicity are taken into account. According to the requirements of doctors, the following methods are used for surgery:
- Autografts are the patient's own tissues,
- allografts are tissues taken from a deceased person,
- xenografts are substances of inorganic origin (titanium and methyl methacrylate implants).
The graft is prepared by stereolithography. An implant modeled on a computer is formed from the source material under the influence of laser radiation.
Conditions necessary for cranioplasty
Cranioplasty requires special equipment that can only be installed in modern clinics. The Da-Vinci and Spine Assist robotic surgical systems, combined with navigation systems from Brainlab and Medtronic Surgical Navigation Technologies, allow operations to be performed with maximum accuracy and without risk of infection. Since foreign medical institutions have more opportunities to install this type of equipment, it is easier to sign up for cranioplasty abroad. However, there are opportunities to perform such an operation in several medical centers in Russia.
Cost of cranioplasty
The most common question on the forums of medical tourists is how much does cranioplasty cost abroad? Since foreign medical institutions have different pricing policies, you can find out about the cost of cranioplasty abroad by submitting a request to the clinic's website. The cost of cranioplasty in Russia is related to the complexity of the operation and the time it takes. Primary cranioplasty costs from 85,000 to 90,000 rubles. The cost of subsequent operations can reach 200,000.
