Autologous fat grafts for skull base repair after craniotomies

Autologous fat grafts are used in skull base surgery to fill relatively small, well-contained cavities. They replace tissue removed during surgery or atrophied after surgery or radiotherapy. The fat may restore a more cosmetic contour, protect superficial tissues from irregular projections of underlying bone, provide contrast with recurrent tumor on imaging studies, and prevent leakage of cerebrospinal fluid. Fat grafts can be combined with other autologous materials to fill large defects. Fat grafts are harvested from the anterior abdominal wall or hip region. This chapter reviews the relevant literature and discusses current techniques of fat grafting in skull base surgery.