Ronald Malt or Chen Zhongwei: Who performed the first surgical replantation?

This article discusses the contributions of the two pioneers of the surgical procedure of replantation-Ronald Malt in the US and Chen Zhongwei in China. Ronald Malt performed the reattachment surgery on a boy who had an accident in 1962, but he published his case report two years later in 1964. Chen Zhongwei performed a similar surgery on a worker who cut off his forearm in 1963, but he published his case report the same year. There is some debate about which one of these reputed surgeons should be given credit for being the first one to perform this breakthrough surgery, because although Malt was the first to perform the procedure, Zhongwei was the first to report it. To shed light on this controversy, criteria for scientific priority suggested by Ronald Vale and Anthony Hyman were applied. Although the criteria mainly favored Zhongwei as the pioneer of this procedure, he did not entirely fulfill one of the criteria. Therefore, the article could not present a definitive answer to the question, and it concludes by pointing out the highly commendable achievements and contributions of both Ronald Malt and Chen Zhongwei.

The history of microsurgery.

Microsurgery is a term used to describe the surgical techniques that require an operating microscope and the necessary specialized instrumentation, the three "Ms" of Microsurgery (microscope, microinstruments and microsutures). Over the years, the crucial factor that transformed the notion of microsurgery itself was the anastomosis of successively smaller blood vessels and nerves that have allowed transfer of tissue from one part of the body to another and re-attachment of severed parts. Currently, with obtained experience, microsurgical techniques are used by several surgical specialties such as general surgery, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, gynecology, otolaryngology, neurosurgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, plastic surgery and more. This article highlights the most important innovations and milestones in the history of microsurgery through the ages that allowed the inauguration and establishment of microsurgical techniques in the field of surgery.

Hallmarks of amputation surgery.

PURPOSE: To highlight the most important innovations and milestones in the historical evolution of amputation and disarticulation surgery through the ages, from the early antiquity until the modern era. METHOD: A thorough search of the literature was undertaken in PubMed and Google Scholar as well as in physical books in libraries to summarize current and classic literature on the hallmarks of the history of amputation surgery in the course of medical history. RESULTS: Amputation of a limb is one of the oldest surgical procedures. Initially, it was fraught with complications and dismal outcome of the patients because of hemorrhage and infection. Due to lack of analgesics and narcotics the operation had to take only a few minutes. Obtaining experience, the surgeons evolved the operative technique and refined the procedure, anesthesia and perioperative analgesia was introduced, instruments were developed, and rehabilitation has enabled functional and social reintegration of amputees. CONCLUSION: From the Hippocratic era until currently, the surgical approach to amputation has changed little. However, the indications for amputations have changed a lot and had been refined, especially in diabetic patients and in those with severe chronic peripheral vascular disease. An exponential decrease in mortality for an operation once fraught with complications was due to the development of the tourniquet, proper vessel ligation and repair, antisepsis, and anesthesia.

Digit Replantation The First 50 Years.

Since the first successful digit replantation by Japanese surgeons Komatsu and Tamai, the past half century has seen the field of digit replantation in the USA experience exponential growth followed by a steady decline in volume of cases and percentage of successful viable digits. The initial enthusiasm and technical progress of digital replantation has been tempered by mediocre functional outcomes, rising healthcare costs, and limited healthcare resources. The history and approach to digit replantation is reviewed and highlights the likely push toward the development of regional replant centers staffed by highly skilled teams to improve the functional outcomes following these complex procedures. More than 50 years have passed since the first successful digit replantation by Komatsu and Tamai who replanted a sharply amputated thumb in a 28-year-old male at the metacarpal-phalangeal joint level in a 4.5 hour procedure. Two arteries and 2 veins were anastomosed using 8-0 monofilament nylon and 7-0 braided silk suture. The patient remained in the hospital for 40 days and did not return to work for 4 months. News of this triumph of microvascular skill was heralded throughout the world as the first successful replantation of a completely amputated digit. Over the past half century, the field of digit replantation in the USA experienced exponential growth followed by a steady decline in volume of cases and percentage of successful viable digits. The initial enthusiasm and technical progress of digital replantation has been tempered by mediocre functional outcomes, rising healthcare costs, and limited healthcare resources. In the next 50 years, it is possible that the majority of digit replantation procedures in the USA may be performed in tertiary centers or regional replant centers by highly skilled teams.

A history of vascular and microvascular surgery.

The history of microvascular surgery is intimately linked to that of vascular surgery. Microvascular techniques, developed mainly in China, Japan, Australia, and the United States of America, built on the principles of vascular anastomosis established by pioneers in France, Germany, Italy, and the United States of America. We present a history of the technique here.

The reconstructive microsurgery ladder in orthopaedics.

Since the advent of the operating microscope by Julius Jacobson in 1960, reconstructive microsurgery has become an integral part of extremity reconstruction and orthopaedics. During World War I, with the influx of severe extremity trauma Harold Gillies introduced the concept of the reconstructive ladder for wound closure. The concept of the reconstructive ladder goes from simple to complex means of attaining wound closure. Over the last half century microsurgery has continued to evolve and progress. We now have a microsurgical reconstructive ladder. The microsurgical reconstruction ladder is based upon the early work on revascularization and replantation extending through the procedures that are described in this article.

[Contribution of French surgeons to reconstructive microsurgery]. / Apport de la France à la microchirurgie.

The authors report the contribution of French surgeons and particularly the plastic surgeons to the reconstructive microsurgery since 1972. Different domains are reviewed: animal experimentation, anatomical studies, reimplantations, free tissular transfer, free bone transfer, strategic original concept of transfer, free toes transfer, microsurgical reconstruction of malformative hand, free lymphatic transfer, nervous microsurgery, flap prefabrication, allotransplantations and the future of microsurgery. Three societies have the place of honour: the French Society of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, the Group for Advancement of Microsurgery and the World Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery.

[Microsurgery: History of instrumental vascular anastomoses, our experience with eversion-stapling using VCS forceps]. / Microchirurgie: passé, présent, futur... Histoire des anastomoses vasculaires instrumentales, expérience personnelle par éversion et agrafage par pince VCS.

One century, after Carrel in 1906, technics of vascular surgery are the same. After two world wars, peace surgery has been improved by war surgery. Microscopy surgery gave a new way for vascular surgery which became microsurgery with specific instrumentation. We have move from the developing period of microsurgery in the 1970s, to the fully matured period of microsurgery in the 1980s and the the development of clinical free flaps. The 1990s must be the turning point from autogenous tissue transplantation to allogenic transplantation. Ethic comity keeps keys of future! About microvascular anastomoses, many instrumental technics are explored but no-one is better than the classic manual suture. For us, the best instrumental technic is the anastomose with titanium clips VCS((R)) but we only use it in good situation without difficulties.

History of upper extremity replantation in the Czech Republic and worldwide.

Replantation surgery is a specialization in plastic surgery which, in comparison with other disciplines, has a relatively short history of only forty years. Replantation surgery developed due to experience with macrovascular anastomosis and to the evolution of the operative microscope, special micro-instruments and ultra delicate suturing material. Due to these advances, it is possible to implement anastomosis of blood vessels with a diameter smaller than 1-2 mm. Each of the three pillars of microvascular surgery has its own history. This work outlines their use and the contribution of each to the development of microsurgery. Finally, it compares the development of replantation surgery in the Czech Republic and worldwide within a specific time frame.

Two examples of reimplantation from Croatian sacral patrimony.

In the current article, two paintings related to the topic of reimplantation from Croatian sacral patrimony are presented. The first one is "The Kiss of Judas," the fresco by Vincent of Kastav (1474) in Beram in Istria--a Gospel scene with Jesus performing reimplantation of the ear to Malchus after it was cut off by Apostle Peter. The second one is an old oil on canvas from the island of Rab, presenting St. Anthony of Padua performing reimplantation of a boy's amputated foot. Although in both cases the primary function of the painting is to convey a moral message, they are interesting from the medical-historical point of view for their view of universal popular imagination and the conception of healing severe wounds during the absence of modern medical knowledge.