Craniofacial applications for the Medpor porous polyethylene flexblock implant.

We describe use of flexblock, a newly designed Medpor porous polyethylene implant. This implant is ideally suited for repair of small to medium-sized cranial defects and correction of contour deformities. Medpor is used for a wide variety of maxillofacial procedures, and its properties make it an excellent choice for the cranium. It is a highly stable and somewhat flexible porous alloplast that has been shown to exhibit rapid soft-tissue and bone ingrowth. Flexblock, which was designed as an onlay for calvarial bone graft donor sites, has a smooth exterior surface and a series of conical ridges on its undersurface that enable easy bending, good contour adaptability, and suitable strength. We used the Medpor flexblock implant in 12 patients over 2 years for correction of contour deformities, cranial defects, and reconstruction of the supraorbital rim. There were no complications. Larger cranial defects and complex reconstructions can be performed using customized Medpor implants. The properties of Medpor and the flexblock design make this implant an excellent alternative to the existing methods of cranioplasty and cranial contour correction.