Microsurgery in Japan

Since the early 1960s microsurgery has been practiced by some of the pioneers in this country, and in the past decade it has given rise to a new era in the fields of reconstructive orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery, enabling repair of blood vessels and nerves, replantation of limbs and digits, and transfers of several composite tissues. A number of experiments and much clinical research in this field has been carried out by many Japanese microsurgeons, who contributed significantly to the development of microsurgery in the world. I have reviewed the history and the progress of microsurgery in Japan by introducing the important and interesting reports on this subject in chronologic order.