Validity of microscopy in plastic and reconstructive surgery

Microscopy has become standard in many surgical disciplines ever since its introduction to medicine. With advances in technology, it offers endless room for innovation and has great potential and value for daily clinical use. The journey of surgical microscopes began in 1921 with the invention of bipolar electrocautery, with which  bleeding of tissues can be controlled and bloodless dissection can be performed. The first operation microscopes were interdisciplinary cooperative developments with ENT, ophthalmology, and gynecology. Over time, microscopes found their way into many other surgical disciplines.

In plastic and reconstructive surgery, microscopes go along with achievements in microsurgery. The first lymphovenous anastomosis was performed in 1962 and advanced to supermicrosurgery in 2000 with anastomosis of vessels smaller than 0.8 mm diameters. Hybrid surgical therapy of lymphedema exemplifies the constant need for innovation in plastic and reconstructive surgery in order to maintain or restore patients´ aesthetics, function, and quality of life.

The keynote presentation is followed by an expert panel discussion with Chieh-Han John Tzou, MD, Johnson Chia-Shen Yang, MD, Christian Taeger, MD, and Joon Pio Hong, MD, addressing topics such as lymphovenous anastomosis (LVA) and the role of training and education in supermicrosurgery.