[From surgical gloves to the rat. The various stages of microsurgery learning]

The paper describes the different stages of microsurgical training which should be followed in an experimental laboratory; it also stresses the main characteristics to which microsurgical trainees must pay attention without neglecting any steps, even the most banal ones, because microsurgery is a sequence of exercises and not a single one (microsuture). The rigorous and increasingly difficult step-by-step progress of the different phases allows the trainee to face the different passages with greater ability and mastery without losing that enthusiasm which is the motivating force. Obstacles and failures can be evaluated with a more critical and reflective eye. Microsurgical training foresees the gradual passage from synthetic materials, such as surgical gloves, to non-living biological structures, such as chicken legs, finishing with experimental animals such as the rat. These biological models are almost identical to human structures making the experimental stage very similar to direct clinical application. Microsurgery, nowadays, is an integral part of all surgical disciplines. A correct approach to surgery using a microscope, according to this teaching scheme, is surely of great help not only for young surgeons but for the veterans of surgery too.