Abstract: Objective To explore the related factors of common postoperative complications after cranioplasty. Methods From November, 2009 to June, 2013, a total of 211 patients after cranioplasty were reviewed. The conventional two-dimensional titanium alloy was used. The incidence of scalp effusion, seizure and spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage were recorded, and the related factors including gender, age, primary disease, skull defect site, attack time, concomitant hydrocephalus and intraoperative dural damage were analyzed. Results The incidence of these complications was 4.7% (10/211) in total. There were four cases with scalp effusion, five cases with seizures and one case with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. The scalp effusion was related to hydrocephalus (χ2=4.804, P=0.028) and intraoperative dural damage (χ2=7.510, P=0.006). Seizure and spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage were not related with any factors above (P>0.05). Conclusion The occurrence of postoperative scalp effusion can be reduced by repairing intraoperative dural damage, and dealing with extreme hydrocephalus timely.

Key words: cranioplasty, decompressive craniectomy, complication