824 Influence of Cranioplasty on Cerebral Blood Flow and Cardiac Function:

INTRODUCTION: Cranioplasty is usually performed for aesthetic, protective, and patient comfort reasons. However, there are many theories suggesting that an underlying physiological alteration may occur that may require correction of the bone defect. The objective of this study is to prove that cranioplasty improves the cerebral blood flow by decreasing the cardiac afterload. METHODS: Twenty-two patients who had undergone bone removal to prevent uncontrollable intracranial hypertension were included in this study. Arterial flow velocities were checked in MCA and ICA by TCD, and cardiac function was checked by echocardiogram. In the last 10 patients, cerebral blood flow was measured by perfusion CT. RESULTS: The blood flow velocity of the lesion side was decreased from 48.8 ± 16.0 to 36.4 ± 14.2 cm/s at the MCA and from 32.9 ± 8.9 to 28.1 ± 7.5 cm/s at the ICA (P < 0.05). On the opposite side, it was decreased from...