Another complex reconstruction of the skull at the Department of Neurosurgery of the Zenica Cantonal Hospital, and this time the most complex 3D reconstruction of the skull so far was performed.
Five years ago, the first 3D reconstruction of a large and complex skull defect was performed at the Department of Neurosurgery of the Zenica Cantonal Hospital. Five years have passed since that operation, the patient has fully recovered and returned to normal life and work activities, and this procedure has become regular at this institution.
“The team of the Department of Neurosurgery introduced this procedure as a standard when closing large defects on the bones of the skull, in order to obtain the maximum aesthetic and functional result. The method itself has already been presented as innovative and published in the relevant journal,” said the Zenica Cantonal Hospital.
Two weeks ago, at the Department of Neurosurgery, another, so far the most complex 3D reconstruction of the skull was performed. The project was realized by Assoc. Dr. Hakija Beculic, Ph.D. Anes Masovic and graduate mechanical engineer MSc. Denis Spahic.
“This is a nineteen-year-old patient from Konjic, who survived a severe head injury two years earlier that left behind a large defect in all the bones of the left half of the skull, including part of the base of the skull and the wall of the eye socket. It was not possible to do a credible aesthetic and functional reconstruction of the skull by using standard methods in neurosurgery and aesthetic surgery,” they added.
It has once again been shown that technology and medicine go hand in hand. Based on the 3D computed tomography of the head, a 3D model of the patient’s skull was created, which served to form the original graft. The mold for the graft was made on a 3D printer and corresponded to the millimeter of the defect that needed to be closed. The reconstruction itself was successfully realized and the maximum aesthetic and functional result was obtained.
“Compared to previous reconstructions, this one was much more complex and technically the most demanding, especially due to the reconstruction of the basal and frontal part of the skull, which in itself significantly lengthens the duration of the operation. We especially emphasize that the method itself is innovative and is completely, in very modest material conditions, introduced and implemented in Zenica”, they said from the Zenica hospital.
Finally, they emphasized that the use of 3D technology for major reconstructive procedures on the head has become a standard at the Department of Neurosurgery.
“We sincerely hope that these and similar innovative ideas will be the backbone of the development of our institution,” the Zenica Cantonal Hospital concluded.
