Poly Methyl Methacrylate Versus Prefabricated Customized 3D Printed Poly Ethyl Ether Ketone Implants in Cranioplasty: Comparative Study

Background: Cranioplasty is a surgical procedure used to treat bony defects or calvarial skull deformities. Till now, there has been little consensus on the standard-of-care for implant materials used in the procedure. Implant materials should have proper mechanical strength to protect the brain and support bone growth. The perfect implant material should be individu-alized to the contours of the defect to ensure a proper cosmetic result for each patient. Aim of Study: The paper aimed to assess the use of Poly Me-thyl Methacrylate and the prefabricated customized 3D printed PEEK implants in the repair of skull bony defects assessing the biocompatibility features, cosmetic results and post-operative complications. Patients and Methods: This study was carried out on Thirty patients with post traumatic and post neurosurgical procedures skull defects randomly divided into 2 groups operated upon by cranioplasty with Poly Methyl Methacrylate or 3D printed PEEK implants at Cairo University Hospitals. Results: Prefabricated customized 3D printed PEEK im-plants showed better outcome regarding cosmetic outcome and lower incidence of postoperative complications. Conclusion: 3D prefabricated PEEK implants showed sev-eral advantages compared to Poly Methyl Methacrylate as it is more malleable and therefore easier to place at areas of skull convexities and orbital walls and decrease the incidence of post operative complications.