Microsurgery Repairs the Smallest of Vessels, Thanks to Advancements in Technology

Microsurgery is used to repair the smallest of vessels, and it has come a long way.

For example, when a finger is cut off, surgeons reattach bones and tendons, which is when a microscope comes into play to reattach vessels.

According to Ryan Katz, M.D., of The Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist & Hand Center at Mercy—a noted hand surgeon and an expert in microvascular surgery and complex reconstructions of the hand, forearm, wrist, and fingers—operating under a microscope has been done for decades. But now, the microscopes are getting better.

Some of the conditions that may require hand microsurgery can include tendonitis, which Dr. Katz said he performs more in women than in men, and that it happens at the base of the thumb, which is often called "mommy thumb.”

Carpal tunnel also affects many women and can cause numbness and tingling, as well as affect sleep, Dr. Katz noted, adding the future of microsurgery is bright. He sees the optics only getting better with the possibility of tackling even smaller vessels. 

“I think that there are technologies that have been around for a while. They just haven't really been adapted to microsurgery just yet that can help eliminate tremor,” Dr. Katz said. “There are robotic-assisted devices that can help the surgeon make their moves, so in addition to magnifying vessels, you can eliminate tremor, you can scale up and scale down movements and things like that.”

The advancements could also lead to remote operating in which a doctor wears virtual reality devices and makes the moves from somewhere other than the operating room while a robot actually works on the patient.

View Mercy orthopedic/hand surgeon Dr. Ryan Katz’s interview regarding microvascular surgery of the upper extremities.