Hand surgery, also called Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, is a branch primarily concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases and injuries of the hand, as well as injuries to other limbs of the body. Repair of vascular, nerve, and tendon injuries in the hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, and shoulder regions, congenital upper extremity disorders, and brachial plexus injuries are the most common reasons for consultation with hand surgeons. This is why it is known as hand and upper extremity surgery.

Furthermore, treatment of vascular, nerve, and tendon injuries in the lower extremities, namely the thigh, leg, and foot, can also be performed by hand surgeons.

This is because surgical treatment of blood vessels and nerves in these areas is performed under a microscope using fine-tipped micro-instruments. Therefore, hand surgery and microsurgery are often considered intertwined branches.

What is Microsurgery?

Microsurgery, the most frequently used technique in hand surgery, is a surgical technique performed by magnifying the surgical field using an operating microscope or special glasses. Thanks to this technique, delicate problems in structures such as nerves and blood vessels, which are difficult to see with the naked eye under normal conditions, can be treated surgically. Repairing blood vessels, nerves, and fibers, which are invisible to the naked eye due to their extremely small size, is possible thanks to microsurgery. Reattachment of partially or completely severed limbs can also be successfully achieved using microsurgical methods.

In Which Cases is Microsurgery Applied?

Microsurgery is generally applied in the following cases:

Thumb and trigger finger amputations,
Muscle and tissue injuries or losses,
Crush injuries,
Tendon repair,
Amputations of the finger and finger joints,
Palm injuries and amputations in this area,
Hand amputation,
Removal of tumors in the musculoskeletal system,
Vascular and nerve injuries,
Ammunitions above the elbow,
Amputations in children,
Avulsion fractures, also known as fracture fractures,
Injuries requiring tendon and nerve transplantation,
Treatment of disorders caused by nerve compression in the hand or elbow,
Transplantation of muscle, skin, and vascular tissue in a composite manner to another part of the body.