Comments on: Patients with no skull are a window on brain activity

By: Shae

Shae — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:25:27 +0000

I had a craniotomy for AVM Disection in my prefrontal cortex and originally had my bone plate put back in place after my AVM’s were removed. Unfortunately, about a month post-op the bone plate became infected requiring a second surgery to have it removed. Now, three years later I still don’t have a plate covering the hole and at the time when I asked my surgeons about a helmet for safety, they told me to be to just be careful. Needless to say, I’m not impressed…

I would like to add, that I completely concur with Storm. It took about two years before contact to the area stopped being absurdly loud and caused me to become dazed. Now it takes an accidental “tap” to the area to cause that effect. Those who think we are fine without plates, imagine spending your days trying to avoid being hit in the head by objects…. You’d be surprised how often it happens.

By: Storm

Storm — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:21:47 +0000

Wel a good friend of mine is 22 now had a huge chunk of his skull removed last year in July 2010, it was placed in his abdomon but it went septic unfortunately . He wears no helmet and is at a sub acute now still comatose. When you touch the area without skullbone he freaks out and looks very confused so saying that it gets hard sounds weird since Marc responds so strangly.

By: Belle

Belle — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 21:26:07 +0000

I actually had a hemicraniectomy when I was 22 after a massive stroke. My bone flap was harvested in my abdomen for a year. During that time, I wore a helmet for the year until the bone was replaced. My doctor instructed me not to take the chance going anywhere without it on. I wore a regular white hockey helmet because anything smaller was too tight and very uncomfortable.

By: Jean delaverriere

Jean delaverriere — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:18:35 +0000

I was not precise enough, I need the name of the spot on the top back of a skull where the three lines meet.

Thank you

J de la Verriere

By: jean delaverriere

jean delaverriere — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:13:43 +0000

Please help me,
For my own sanity I wish to know the name of the space where the 3 parts of the skull join, Like a Y

By: Natalie

Natalie — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 00:55:05 +0000

What type of helmet would you suggest for someone who has the skull flap removed? My 17 year old is close to returning to school & we need something. I would prefer an altered/reinforced baseball helmet or something similar that won’t make him look terribly odd.

By: Vaughan

Vaughan — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:04:48 +0000

Almost all published reports of hemicraniectomy report helmet use:
http://scholar.google.com.co/scholar?q=hemicraniectomy+helmet
Perhaps this is less common in decompressive hemicraniectomy where smaller bone flaps are more typically removed, although I note that some case reports still note helmet use:
http://scholar.google.com.co/scholar?hl=es&q=decompressive+craniectomy+helmet

By: david lloyd

david lloyd — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:50:37 +0000

The applications you’re reporting are fascinating, but, in fact, you’re wrong to say that ‘the patients normally wear helmets, for obvious reasons,’ – most patients, in reality, don’t need to wear helmets. A simple skin flap, in time, hardens and becomes as much a protective barrier as the skull. Either that or, in many cases, a muscle graft is carried out – the muscle atrophying and forming a barrier just as tough as a skull. The idea, of course, is for surgeons and plastics to give the patient a natural replacement, and not have to rely upon any prosthetic, or external protection.