The Posterior Coronal Incision

BackgroundThe coronal incision is a standard surgical approach in craniofacial surgery. It has undergone many modifications during the years in an attempt to optimize the esthetic appearance of the scar, including the sawtooth “stealth incision” and the sinusoidal incision. MethodsWe describe an alternative coronal approach extending posteriorly from the postauricular region over the occiput, resulting in an axial scar. Results and DiscussionThe posterior coronal incision provides equivalent exposure of the craniofacial skeleton while placing the scar in an esthetically optimal location that is much more likely to be camouflaged by hair, especially in patients with thinning hair or male-pattern baldness. It avoids a vertical temporal scar that is prone to widening and also allows the incision to be placed remotely from any neurosurgical hardware in the frontotemporal region. It may be used in craniofacial or neurosurgical procedures requiring access to the posterior or anterior cranial vaults or the upper craniofacial skeleton down to the maxillary alveolar rim.