The impact of cranioplasty on the patients' quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of life in patients with moderate or large cranial bone defects before and after late cranioplasty. METHODS: Authors performed a prospective clinical trial including all consecutive patients that filled inclusion criteria during a period of 1 year. All patients answered the quality of life SF-36 questionnaire in 5 different times. Besides authors gathered information about the primary trauma and demographic characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 70 consecutive patients were admitted to the hospital during the study period, and 62 were included in the project. Cranioplasty statistically improved patients' quality of life in all 8 domains after a 24 months follow-up. CONCLUSION: Cranioplasty has a significant impact over the quality of life in brain trauma victims who survived the primary trauma and harbor a large cranial bone defect.