Custom-made cast titanium implants produced with CAD/CAM for the reconstruction of cranium defects

Titanium implants for the reconstruction of bony skull defects, using data from three-dimensional spiral computer tomography, have been described by other authors(4,5). Instead of milling the implants from a titanium block, an advanced method of rapid prototyping for a fine casting process is presented. Casting vs milling offers several advantages. it is possible to form very thinly tapered structures and to obtain more complex geometrical structures with smaller diameters. Many geometrical forms, which cannot be milled for technical reasons, can be produced using this technique.