About Microsurgery
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650-723-7001
Microsurgery is surgery that is performed with the use of a microscope in the operating room. The microscope is used to work on blood vessels or nerves that are extremely small. Microsurgery can be used to transfer tissues from one part of the body to another in order to reconstruct a defect or deformity. Some examples of where microsurgery can be used include breast reconstruction. Tissue can be removed from the abdominal area and placed into the area of the chest and made into a breast. This tissue feels more natural than implants because it is a patient's natural skin and fat that are used. Examples of breast flaps that are performed at Stanford include the Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap (DIEP), Superficial Inferior Epigastric Artery Flap (SIEA), Superior Gluteal Artery Perforator Flap (SGAP), Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous Flap (TRAM), Transverse Myocutaneous Gracilis Flap (TMG), and more. Microsurgery allows for the connection (aka 'anastomosis') of blood vessels in the tissue that is transferred in order to maintain adequate blood perfusion. Hence, the tissue is in fact living tissue ('flap') that has its own blood supply. View a video explanation on options for breast reconstruction »
Microsurgery can also be used to transfer bone and skin from the lower leg (e.g., fibula) to reconstruct the entire jaw (mandible) in cases of trauma or cancer surgery. Microsurgery can transfer muscle and/or skin from one part of the body to cover a defect in the lower leg where there may be exposed bone or hardware.
Microsurgery is an extremely powerful tool that can help reconstruct complex defects. Stanford Microsurgery is one of the premier centers in the world where microsurgery is performed, and new advances are made.
