[The microsurgical transplantation of vascularized bone from a human fetus to man]

On the basis of the possibilities of microsurgical techniques and the results of some experiments conducted for the purpose of studying the "microsurgical" morphometry of various areas of the body of a fetus, determining the viability of fetal tissues in cold and thermal anoxia, working out microsurgical methods and the operative techniques, and solving organizational problems, three operation were carried out in the clinic for transplantation of vascularized fetal humerus (in one case together with the ulna and radius) to three patients with defects in the bone skeleton of the hand. Immunosuppression was not undertaken. Control over the viability of the brephotransplant was conducted by ultrasonic dopplerography on a vascular pedicle, radioisotope scintigraphy, roentgenography, and histological study in aspiration biopsy. The brephotransplant was removed in one case due to suppuration 4 months after the operation. In the other two cases with a follow-up period of over 6 months the brephotransplants are viable.