Refers to the repair or linking up of small blood vessels under high magnification using an operating microscope.

Blood vessel diameters usually range from 1 to 3 mm and typically will include an artery and a vein.

This may be part of an elective procedure wherein a unit of tissue is transferred from one part (donor site) to reconstruct a given defect arising after trauma or resection for cancer (recipient site). This is referred to as FREE TISSUE TRANSFER or FREE FLAP SURGERY.

Microsurgery has helped make the process of REPLANTATION (surgical reattachment of body part) possible.

Here, divided blood vessels the injured part are carefully identified, prepared and re-attached through micro-surgery to their original vessels, to re-establish blood flow and help the part survive.