POL Scientific / JBM / Volume 12 / Issue 3 / DOI: 10.14440/jbm.0019
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CASE REPORT

A customized large single-piece bifrontal implant for post-craniectomy defect reconstruction: A case study

Omid Ghaderzadeh1* Ehsan Amirbeyk2 Seyed Roholah Ghodsi1 Zahra Namazi3 Lobat Tayebi4
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1 Department of Research and Development, DanaWell Co., Tehran 158365311, Iran
2 Department of Neurosurgery, Sabzevar University of Medical Science, Sabzevar, Razavi Khorasan 158365311, Iran
3 Department of Dental Biomaterials, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 158365311, Iran
4 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Institute for Engineering in Medicine, Health and Human Performance, Batten College of Engineering and Technology, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529, United States of America
JBM 2025 , 12(3), e99010070; https://doi.org/10.14440/jbm.0019
Submitted: 27 March 2025 | Revised: 4 July 2025 | Accepted: 10 July 2025 | Published: 12 August 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Background: Large bifrontal defects pose unique reconstruction challenges due to their complex curvature and mechanical requirements. This case demonstrated how computer-aided design/manufacturing (CAD/CAM) enabled precise single-piece polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) implant fabrication, thereby overcoming traditional limitations. Case presentation: A 25-year-old male who had undergone bifrontal decompressive craniectomy suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. The autologous bone flap had been temporarily stored in a subcutaneous fat area of the abdomen for 3 months to preserve its viability. A secondary cranioplasty was then performed using titanium miniplates and self-tapping screws for final fixation. After 2 years, the patient developed empyema and a brain abscess; the infected bone flap was removed. A skull computed tomography (CT) scan was conducted, and a prosthesis was created from PMMA by employing CAD. In the sagittal plane, the defect extended from the frontal bone and surpassed the coronal suture, while in the coronal plane, it reached the temporal region on both sides. The prosthesis was fabricated through rapid prototyping based on CT scan images. Surgery was performed using a patient-specific prosthesis that adequately covered the defect area. Facial aesthetics were restored, and no complications occurred. The patient was followed clinically and radiologically for 1 year, during which no postoperative complications or signs of implant-related issues were observed. Conclusion: This CAD/CAM single-piece PMMA implant successfully restored large bifrontal defects, suggesting that it may find broader applications in complex cranioplasties and could achieve improved outcomes.

Keywords
Decompressive craniectomy
Large skull defect
Customization
Cranioplasty
Polymethyl methacrylate
Funding
None.
References
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Conflict of interest
Omid Ghaderzadeh and Seyed Roholah Ghodsi are employees of DanaWell. The company had no role in clinical decision-making or interpretation of results to ensure research objectivity.
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Journal of Biological Methods, Electronic ISSN: 2326-9901 Print ISSN: TBA, Published by POL Scientific