[A case report: hirudotherapy as a treatment modality in the microsurgery]

Medicinal leeches are known to inject more than 100 bioactive substances in the tissue whilst sucking blood. They are being successfully used for the treatment of diseases and symptoms, especially in plastic surgery. We report the case of a 7-year old boy, who had lost the first phalanx of the middle finger of the right hand after an accident. The detached digit was replanted in the plastic surgery clinic, and treated within a period of 15 days with medicinal leeches (Hirudo medicinalis). Soon after the initiation of the hirudotherapy, the revascularisation of the re-attached phalanx, as well as the resolving of tissue oedema and pain was observed. Turkish physicians should be aware of the advantages of hirudotherapy in plastic and reconstructive surgery, especially in cases of detached digits and flaps.