Man who lost one-fourth of his skull in Chennai road accident gets metal implant

CHENNAI: For close to five months, 26-year-old Anbazhagan (name changed as the patient wished to remain anonymous) lived with just three-fourth of his skull after a bike accident left him with a severe head injury. Today, he has a custom-made skull.
When Anbazhagan met his extended family and friends for the first time after his accident in January, the only sign of injury was a slight dent on the right side of his head.A closer look would have revealed that a thin layer of skin was all that protected his brain on one side.
Doctors at Parvathy Hospital in Chennai, where Anbazhagan was admitted, said his score on the Glasgow Coma Scale – a system commonly used to measure the level of consciousness in a person following traumatic brain injury – was 4, which indicated severe head injury.
“One side of his skull was completely shattered and his brain matter oozed through,” said Dr K Eliyasbasha, senior consultant neurosurgeon at the hospital.
He was immediately wheeled into the operating theatre where surgeons removed the fragments, leaving a gaping hole on one side, which was soon naturally covered by a layer of skin.
While doctors deliberated how to replace the missing portion of the skull, Anbazhagan returned home with a bandaged head.
“We kept monitoring him from time to time. We knew we didn’t have much time as a slight injury to his head would have been enough to end his life,” said Dr Eliyasbasha.
In June, doctors decided to fit his skull with a titanium implant. “We took around 150 images in different dimensions through CT scan and then created a 3D model of the brain with the defect. This gave us an idea of how much metal we need and how it needs to be shaped,” said the surgeon, adding that the hole was 10cm long.
Anbazhagan was taken to the surgical room a second time. The procedure, which involved inserting the implant into the hole, took only half an hour to complete.
Compared to traditional materials like polymethylmethacrylate, there’s a lower risk of rejection with titanium – which is also resistant to corrosion and is lightweight.
The entire procedure cost around Rs 1 lakh. Doctors said Anbazhgan was discharged the next day.