Piezosurgery for the Repair of Middle Cranial Fossa Meningoencephaloceles

OBJECTIVES: To describe the use of a piezosurgery medical device to perform a craniotomy and produce a split calvarial graft for the repair of middle cranial fossa meningoencephaloceles. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case review. SETTING: Tertiary referral hospital. PATIENTS: Ten consecutive patients undergoing middle cranial fossa approach for the repair of meningoencephaloceles. INTERVENTION: Therapeutic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Intraoperative and postoperative complications, success rate as defined by the ability to fashion a split calvarial graft that achieves complete closure of the tegmen defect. As a secondary outcome measure, evidence of integration of the split calvarial bone graft with the adjacent skull base was assessed. RESULTS: There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. An appropriately sized calvarial bone graft was produced, and complete closure of the tegmen defect was achieved in all 10 cases. Computed tomography demonstrated evidence of integration of the bone graft in eight cases between 4 and 9 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: The piezosurgery medical device provides a safe and effective means by which the middle fossa craniotomy and split calvarial bone graft can be produced to repair defects of the middle fossa tegmen, with integration of the bone graft in the majority of cases.