World J. Surg., 3, 1, 1979

World Progress in Surgery Advances in Microsurgery--Introduction

This is an unusual opportunity to group together distinguished authors from countries around the world to write about advances in microsurgery related to small blood vessels, lymphatics, nerves, and the tubular systems of the urogenital tract. The authors are from Japan, the United States, Austria, Spain, and Australia, and from the surgical disciplines of orthopedics, plastic and reconstructive surgery, neurosurgery, and urology. More of the articles have come from the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery, for this specialty, by its very nature, has had more opportunity to practice microneurovascular surgery. It may seem surprising that otolaryngology and ophthalmology are not represented in this issue, especially since these surgical specialties were the first to develop microsurgical techniques for clinical use. Microsurgery in these areas has been long established and its application to the surgery of the ear and eye has become widespread. It was with this in mind that the editor requested his guest editor to exclude the two pioneering specialties, otolaryngology and ophthalmology, and to concentrate on more recent developments. Also, it should not be forgotten that some gynecologists, pediatric surgeons, and general surgeons are using the operating microscope increasingly in the care of their patients, but perhaps not to the same extent as the specialties represented in this issue.

None of the 7 articles on microsurgery in this symposium could have been written 10 years ago, and indeed little could have been said even 5 years ago. No pure specialty of microsurgery exists because microsurgery is fundamentally a surgical technique applied to each surgical discipline. Yet, there are common areas of interest and, on occasion, microneurovascular and microtubal surgery are combined in one surgical endeavor. Wide application of microsurgery will be seen in these articles, with application to limbs (including hands and digits), brain, urogenital system, and the transfer of composite tissue to all parts of the body, including flaps, muscle, bone, omental, and toe transfers. Some of these tissues have been transferred in combination. Although replantation surgery was the first area in which microvascular surgery had its impact, the reader will see that elective microneurovascular surgery has now become of greater importance. The field of microsurgery has become a scene of rapid expansion, and this is expected to continue with the further dissemination of available knowledge. It is hoped that this issue of WORLD JO U RN A L OF SURGERY will make its own contribution to this expansion. Bernard McC. O'Brien, M.D. Guest Editor

0364-2313/79/0003-0001 $01.00 9 1979 Socirt6 lnternationale de Chirurgie

Advances in microsurgery--introduction.

World J. Surg., 3, 1, 1979 World Progress in Surgery Advances in Microsurgery--Introduction This is an unusual opportunity to group together disting...
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