A comparison of the effects of 3D printed digitally shaped polyetheretherketone and titanium mesh in repairing cranial defects
SUN Yikun
ZHANG Pengfei
GU Jianwen
SHI Tiejun
SHI Quanxing
WANG Peixin
WANG Tao
Abstract：Objective To compare the effects of 3D printed digitally shaped polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and titanium mesh in repairing skull defects. Methods A total of 78 patients with skull defects admitted to the Ninth Medical Centre of the Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 2021 and September 2023 were retrospectively enrolled. According to different repair materials,they were divided into 3D PEEK group (n=41) and titanium mesh group (n=37). The operation time,intraoperative blood loss,length of hospital stay,complications,shaping satisfaction and prognosis[Glasgow prognostic scale (GOS),mini-mental state examination (MMSE),Karnofsky performance status (KPS)]were compared between the two groups. Results There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss or length of hospital stay between the two groups (P>0.05),but the operation time in PEEK group was longer than that in titanium mesh group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in total incidence of complications between the two groups (P>0.05). The shaping satisfaction in PEEK group was higher than that in titanium mesh group (P<0.05). Before the surgery,there was no significant difference in scores of GOS,MMSE and KPS between the two groups (P>0.05),but after the surgery,scores of GOS,MMSE and KPS were all increased in both groups,with PEEK group higher than titanium mesh group (P<0.05). Conclusions The repair effect of 3D printed digitally shaped PEEK and titanium mesh is almost the same in patients with skull defects,but compared to titanium mesh,3D PEEK has better shaping effects and prognosis.
Keywords：3D printed digital shapingPolyetheretherketoneTitanium meshSkull defectComplicationsPrognosis
Publication Date：2025-02-08
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 69-73 )