Preliminary Investigation of ViaShield™ Amnion Patch as an Anti-Adhesive Barrier in Hemicraniectomies

A hemicraniectomy is a surgical procedure in which part of the skull is temporarily removed to relieve pressure on the underlying brain. Hemicraniectomies are typically performed on patients experiencing severe brain injury, usually due to stroke or trauma. In these cases, the brain injury and swelling is so severe that it can lead to brain compression and brain death. As a result, a surgeon will remove the bone flap to help with brain swelling and increased intracranial pressure. After the patient heals, a cranioplasty will be performed to restore the bone flap to its original location.

When the central nervous system is deprived of its normal covering, as is the case with hemicraniectomies, the exposed area becomes the site of cellular reaction from surrounding tissue1 and soft tissue adhesions frequently develop between the skin flap and the dura mater or exposed brain, which may lead to less than optimal clinical outcome.

ViaShield™ is an amnion patch produced from human amniotic membrane. Because of its inherent anti-adhesive properties, amnion serves as an ideal barrier against scarring and soft tissue adhesions to the neural elements, anterior vessels and hardware.