Cranial Plates

[hbtwarrior21]

Im not sure if this is the right forum, I have a question regarding my wife.  When she was little she has a tumor on her head, it was removed and now she has a plate in her head.  She had it put in when she was around 11 and was told after 10 to 12 years that it would have to be removed and replaced, is that possible and why would they do that.  Also for the past year she has been having severe Migraines, does that have anything to do with the plate?  She is only 21 years old, and has several medical problems. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks

[PaulMD]

Hi there.  The bones of the skull continues to grow until about the 3rd decade of life (20's).  The metal plates, do not.  For this reason, plates may be replaced at such a point since the previous plates may become to small and offer less protection to the brain, and can indeed cause these present symptoms that your wife is experiencing.

Regards and God bless.