Calvarial bone graft harvest. Techniques, considerations, and morbidity.

The importance of calvarial bone grafting in craniomaxillofacial trauma and facial reconstructive surgery is now widely recognized. Numerous harvesting techniques have evolved to optimize the desired thickness, size, shape, and curvature for a particular reconstructive need. At the same time, donor site selection and morbidity must be considered. This report includes a discussion of several currently utilized calvarial bone graft harvesting techniques, with emphasis on minimizing complications and morbidity. Choice of optimal harvesting technique and donor site for specific reconstructive situations will likewise be discussed. Finally, the specific morbidity in our multi-institutional calvarial bone graft harvest series of 121 patients and over 350 grafts will be reviewed.