There is no doubt that many synthetic materials used in cranioplasty have given good
result regarding patient's calvarial shape. However, the use of these materials is
costly to the patient and requires complex intraoperative process. There has been
a long history regarding the use of acrylic bone cement called as polymethyl-methacrylate
(PMMA) as an implant due to its desirable properties. Here, we present three cases
of simple, cost effective manually sculpted calvarial defect using three-dimensional
(3D) printer. Sharing the achievement and challenges, we want to focus that the 3D
customized implant of PMMA can be used as bone substitute.
Key-words:
Bone cement - cranioplasty - polymethyl-methacrylate prosthesis - three-dimensional
printing