Supermicrosurgery

Supermicrosurgery is a relatively new term that is used to describe the ‘joining up’ or anastomosis of tubular structures less than 1mm in diameter. It comes from the term ‘supra-microsurgery’ which was coined by Professor Isao Koshima in Tokyo, Japan, back in the early 1990’s.

He is a legend and pioneer of Reconstructive Microsurgery who still practises in Japan today. He began performing microsurgery on vessels as they emerge from the deep fascia of the body ie. at the ‘supra-fascial’ level, hence the term supra-microsurgery. This then evolved into the more sexy ‘super-microsurgery’ terminology as the technique became globally established in the early to mid 2000’s.

In practice today, supermicrosurgery is mainly used when operating on tiny lymphatic vessels, or when reattaching the tips of severed digits. It requires a talent for microsurgery, an eye for detail and an abundance of patience. It is technically extremely challenging but in the right hands can transform lives.