When is cranial repair performed for cranial defects in children?

In addition to a few congenital causes, cranial defects are commonly caused by traumatic skull fracture after debridement, after decompression of the bone flap due to increased intracranial pressure, after removal of cranial osteomyelitis, after resection of various tumors involving the skull, and other causes of cranial defects. Cranial defects often cause physical and psychological stress to the patients and keep them away from social life. Cranial repair not only protects the brain tissue at the cranial defect from direct trauma, but also aesthetically restores the normal appearance of the skull, thus enabling patients to return to social life. It has been found that after cranial repair, in addition to the significant improvement in cerebral blood flow on the affected side, cerebral blood flow on the contralateral side also improves. This has led to the realization that cranial bone repair is important for improving and restoring brain function. Children possess a high capacity for bone regeneration. It is generally believed that children under three years of age do not need to undergo cranial bone repair; children over four years of age are not in a hurry to undergo cranial bone repair, but can be observed for a few years, and then considered after the regeneration of cranial bone is stabilized. In addition to cranial repair, growth fractures in children also require appropriate surgical management for the cause.