The effect of training in microsurgery.

One of the most important and fundamental prerequisites for successful microsurgery is serious and adequate training. This article presents the effect of microsurgical training on the functional end result of reanastomosis in the rabbit fallopian tube and evaluates the appropriate duration of laboratory training. In 50 New Zealand White female rabbits a microsurgical reanastomosis of the fallopian tube in its isthmic portion was performed. The rabbits were divided into five groups. In the first group only 30% of the rabbits conceived on the side operated on. The nidation index was only 0.269 as compared to 0.831 for the control side. Improvement in microsurgical skill following 100 isthmic anastomoses resulted in a 100% pregnancy rate for the last group. The nidation indexes in this group were the same on the side operated on and on the control side, 0.774 and 0.702, respectively. Scanning electron microscopic examination of the anastomosis site revealed a progressive increase in patency rate and in the amount of apposed mucosal folds in the three groups. A training program is recommended, which should bring about a nidation index and pregnancy rate that should not differ from the side operated on to the control side.