PMC:6720993 / 3376-4445 JSONTXT

{"project":"2_test","denotations":[{"id":"31531259-15944970-19021122","span":{"begin":142,"end":143},"obj":"15944970"},{"id":"31531259-11862030-19021122","span":{"begin":142,"end":143},"obj":"11862030"},{"id":"31531259-15944970-19021123","span":{"begin":882,"end":883},"obj":"15944970"}],"text":"3. Discussion\nExposure of a titanium mini plate several months to several years after cranioplasty or facial bone reconstruction is not rare [6–8]. In our case, exposure of the titanium plate was not caused by infection, which is the most frequent cause of plate protrusion [9]. An edge of the patient's pinwheel-shaped titanium mini plate was bent by relatively minor head trauma, and the upturned part of the plate compressed the scalp, resulting in focal skin ischemia and penetration of the skin. It might be considered that plates utilized for cranioplasty would rarely be bent after being covered by subcutaneous tissue in the absence of infection. However, this case demonstrates that a titanium mini plate can be easily bent by a blow to the scalp directly overlying the plate. Recently, thinner titanium plates (0.3 mm thick) have become more popular for cosmetic reasons [6]. However, the thinner a titanium plate, the easier it would be to bend it. We therefore recommend that screws should be inserted into all holes of pinwheel-shaped titanium mini plates."}