Atiq Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Imran, Syed Ijlal Ahmed, Shiraz Ahmed Ghouri, Alizay Rashid Khan, Muhammad Osama Farooqi, Majid Chandio.
Bone Flaps: Cryopreservation Versus Intracorporeal Preservation Of Cranial Bone Flaps; A Comprehensive Review Of Literature.
Professional Med J Jan ;24(9):1259-64.

Cranioplasty is the surgical repair of a bone deformity of the skull. Autologous bone grafts are preferred more since the cranial bone flaps will not be subject to rejection by the host and they lower the entry of foreign materials into the body. Preservation of cranial bone flaps is done in numerous ways, namely cryopreservation after a decompressive craniectomy, intracorporeal preservation and cranioplasty with subcutaneously preserved autologous bone grafts. The method of preserving cranial bone flaps using cryopreservation has many advantages; it is a safe, simple and an effective method for autologous bone grafts. The cryopreservation is also associated with higher infection rates and bone resorption as complications when compared to intracorporeal preservation. Intracoporeal preservation technique has many advantages, particularly that this surgery is easy, safe and cost-effective. The duration of the operation is short. The autologous bone flaps are not subject to rejection and there is no need for intra-operative bone shaping. Therefore on the basis of review of literature authors concluded that intracorporeal preservation is better than cryopreservation of cranial bone flaps, in terms of efficacy and complications.

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