What Is Microsurgery?

Microsurgery is a surgical discipline that enables tissue to be transferred from one part of the body to another while ensuring that the transplanted tissue stays perfused. This is accomplished using specialized instruments and an operating microscope.

Clinical examples of microsurgery include reattachment of severed body parts (i.e., replantation) or free tissue transfer for the purpose of reconstructing traumatic tissue defects. The key to success is to ensure adequate blood flow to the tissue in question.

Why come to Stanford Medicine Children’s Health for pediatric microsurgery?

Stanford Medicine Children’s Health has a team of highly specialized surgeons who have dedicated their careers to treating children with complex wounds and tissue defects. As such, we can offer a wide range of microsurgery services, including limb salvage, replantation of severed body parts, reconstruction of complex trunk defects, repair of nerve injuries and reconstruction of the face. Children and their families often travel to our facility from other regions for these services.

Importantly, our team offers these procedures year-round, meaning we can treat patients when they most need it.

Our doctors not only offer cutting-edge clinical care but are also leading researchers in the field of pediatric reconstruction and, specifically, in complex microsurgical reconstruction.

Finally, events and conditions that require microsurgery often require the expertise of many different types of specialists. Stanford Medicine Children’s Health is home to world-renowned practitioners from nearly every medical field, which means patients have access to a multidisciplinary team of experts who will collaborate to create and implement the most effective care plan for each patient.

Which patients are good candidates for microsurgery?

When a child has been involved in physical trauma, plastic surgery is sometimes not the first thing that comes to mind. However, the sooner a child can get to us, the better the chances of successful reconstruction. The most common candidates for complex reconstruction and microsurgery include patients who have suffered physical traumatic accidents in which a large amount of tissue is damaged and needs surgical reconstruction. Also, cancer patients whose treatment requires the removal of a large amount of tissue, commonly can benefit from microsurgical reconstruction of their defect. An example is a patient with osteosarcoma in their limb. In summary, any patient who has a large area of missing or damaged tissue anywhere on their body is a potential candidate for microsurgical reconstruction.

What microsurgery research do you do?

Because our doctors are also leading researchers in the field, your child will have access to the most advanced knowledge and technologies available. For example, one of our doctors, Arash Momeni, MD, has conducted research showing how microsurgery can be safe and effective for pediatric patients.