Extremity replantation

Replantation surgery has progressed in 20 years from a laboratory curiosity to a common and useful clinical procedure. All patients with partial or complete amputations should be considered for replantation of the part. However, only a number of these patients are appropriate for replantation. The indications for replantation should not be based only on the potential viability of the limb, but, more important, should be based on the potential function of the replanted part. The function is related to the level of the amputation, to the mechanism of the amputation, and to the age and motivation of the patient. Replantation surgery requires technical competence and clinical acumen. Surgeons performing replantations should maintain their microvascular technique in laboratory work and elective microsurgical procedures. Because the operations are quite arduous and require teams of surgeons relieving each other and because assessment of the appropriateness of replantation requires considerable clinical experience, replantation operations are best performed by teams in large medical centers.