Objectives: To describe the indications for successful use of hydroxyapatite cement (HAC) in temporal bone surgery.
Study design: Retrospective case review.
Methods: One hundred nine temporal bone defects related to surgical approaches to the skull base, infection, neoplasms, or congenital defect in 102 adults and children were corrected using HAC over a 10-year period. The results and complications were obtained through retrospective chart review.
Results: Ninety-seven percent of temporal bone defects were successfully repaired using HAC, and the reconstruction remained stable over the course of this study. There was one case of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak. Wound infection occurred in three patients, which required reoperation and removal of the biomaterial.
Conclusions: HAC is a biomaterial that should be used as the primary method to reconstruct temporal bone defects. Proper use of this biomaterial results in restoration of the integrity of the temporal bone and elimination of cerebrospinal fluid leak as a postoperative complication.