A synthetic model for microsurgical training: a surgical contribution to reduce the number of animal experiments.

Microsurgery has grown to be an essential technique in pediatric surgery. Thus, there is an increasing need for basic training and skills maintenance, which require a continuous laboratory training. As an alternative to microsurgical exercises on living animals, a model including a simulation vein, artery and nerve is being introduced. It provides an opportunity to practice microsurgical technique with optimal availability at any time at fairly low cost. Its potentials and limits in the training of microsurgical dissection, anastomosis and quality control are being compared to experiments on anesthetized animals. Although a few exercises on living animals are mandatory to close the gap between the laboratory and the patient, a synthetic model is a valuable tool in microsurgical training and helps to reduce animal experiments.