Bone flap fixation with titanium clamps: A new technique

BACKGROUND Craniotomy bone flaps are replaced for both cosmetic and protective purpose s. The purpose of this study was to determine the facility, strength, timin g, and cost effectiveness of an alternative system for securing bone flaps. The system consists of titanium discs that clamp the bone flap to the skul l edge. METHODS AND RESULTS Ten cadaver craniotomy flaps each were reattached with either 24-gauge wire , miniplates, or titanium clamps. The titanium clamp system required signif icantly less time to fix than either wire or miniplates. The clamps were st ronger than wire and cost less than miniplates. CONCLUSION The titanium clamp system is a reasonable alternative to present craniotomy fixation methods with respect to ease of use, time consumption, strength, and relative cost. (C) 2000 by Elsevier Science Inc.