[Cranioplasty using autogenous bone cryopreserved with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)].

It is generally agreed that the autogenous bone flap which has been removed at the time of external decompression would be superior to any artificial material if it can be used in cranioplasty. Cranioplasty using autogenous frozen bone graft has been reported and showed good results except for infection and severe bone absorption. We conducted 39 cases of cranioplasty with cryopreserved autogenous bone in the presence of 10% of Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), which has been reported as a cryoprotective agent. Although no remarkable histological effects have been recognized in frozen bone with or without DMSO, we have obtained excellent clinical results without bone absorption in 24 of the cases. These results suggest that DMSO is helpful for frozen bone preservation.