What is the best material to use for skull repair in children? Cranial repair surgery for children is used to treat patients with defects caused by cranial trauma and brain surgery. There are also patients with congenital cranial defects due to developmental or ossification disorders in the embryonic period. Currently, the following materials are used for cranial bone repair: 1. Titanium mesh material, i.e. titanium alloy material. It is a material with high usage rate at present. Its advantage is that it is cheap and cost-effective. Non-corrosive and firm. It can be forged and the cosmetic effect is better compared with bone cement and so on. But at the same time there are also certain risks, first of all, the problem of its metal material causes it to have higher thermal conductivity and poor insulation, which may cause sensitivity to hot and cold reactions, and children may be more sensitive to such hot and cold reactions. In addition, the surgery of skull repair with titanium mesh is an overlay surgery, which is more irritating to the scalp. It is also less histocompatible and less resistant to pressure, so it results in it not being strong enough and easily deformed by force. Children are playful and active and do not know how to protect themselves, so it is more likely to cause secondary injuries if the material is not strong enough. The material also has metal artifacts, which may affect medical examinations, such as CT resonance, and cause diagnostic interference. So it is not the best choice for children’s skull repair material. 2.Polyetheretherketone material, also known as peek material. It is the most advanced material for treating cranial defects at present. It is also one of the most suitable materials to be selected for skull repair surgery. Polyetheretherketone is a kind of polymer material which is comparable to human body’s own cranial bone. It is more biocompatible. It is strong but very elastic and tough, with greater impact resistance and better protection. This effectively avoids the risk of accidental impact by children. Unlike titanium mesh material for overlay surgery, skull repair surgery with polyetheretheretherketone is an embedded surgery and more comfortable. Moreover, compared with titanium mesh material polyetheretherketone material basically does not conduct heat and has strong insulation properties. It avoids the sensitivity to hot and cold reactions caused by cranial repair surgery with titanium mesh. There is also no postoperative infection and no rejection. The rays are transmissible and no artifacts are formed. Moreover, polyetheretherketone is a material that can be plasticized in three dimensions and can be customized for three-dimensional reconstruction according to the different needs of patients. The design is made according to the patient’s brain CT data, and the 3D printing technology is used to produce a cranial bone that perfectly matches the bone window after the cranial repair and its own cranial bone to fit perfectly and beautifully and naturally. Therefore, the best material choice for both children and adults with skull defects is polyetheretherketone material. The material is better adapted to children’s cranial growth and development. The best time for cranial repair in children: Cranial repair is a relatively routine procedure in neurosurgery, and according to the neurosurgery guidelines for cranial repair, it can be done after the child reaches the age of three. The skull is growing slowly after the age of three, and the skull is growing along the bone suture, so the size of the bone window will not change much. Moreover, children are at an active age, with little awareness of self-protection, and are vulnerable to external injuries; long-term cranial defects are also likely to cause neurological damage: therefore, early cranial repair is needed.