World first on 19-year-old patient: Montpellier University Hospital achieves breakthrough in microsurgery

This is a surgical feat that was performed on a young patient at the Department of Lymphology at the Saint-Aloi Hospital, Montpellier University Hospital.

Interventions on vessels with a caliber of less than 0.5 mm constitute a demonstration of surgical skill in itself, but when it comes to “anastomosis” (connection of vessels to each other) on vessels less than 0.1 mm, -0.07 mm equal -, we are in a feat, the world’s First too.

An infinitesimal operation that takes six times as long

“Gestures are infinitely small, without robots and bare hands”, Explains Professor Christian Herlin, the author of the operation that took it “six times as long”was conducted in January on a 19-year-old patient suffering from “lymphedema”. The glass ceiling is 0.15 mm, “We cut it in half.”

When lymph cannot circulate normally and accumulates in the tissues of the organ, lymphedema appears as a swelling due to the abnormal accumulation of this fluid. Most often, in areas of the body that have undergone lymph node dissection, or in response to radiotherapy. “Suffering from scapula cancer, treatment damaged his lymphatic system.”

Significant improvements

Current treatment aims to reduce and slow the development of edema through lymphatic drainage, compression bandages and restraints. “It is a palliative medicine, not yet completely curative, if it does not completely cure people, it restores flow, relieves disability and symptoms. An improvement was noted on her hand on fluoroscopy. The lymphatic vessels were functioning.

France is still very timid in microsurgery

So it’s first world, but “I’m not the best microsurgeon in the world!”Jokes Christian Herlin. “They are in Korea. In France, it is not yet valued like in Asia where there is this dimension of exploitation, self-fulfillment. In France, things have changed a bit with face transplants, because we are in a fantastic achievement. Now we have a x45 magnification microscope, There are instruments with 0.1 mm tweezers. But a simple tweezer costs 4,000 euros, the accuracy allows us to go to very low.“€400,000 is the price of the microscope and for each suture, that’s €200!

Montpellier, European Center of Excellence

“In Montpellier, we are best placed to develop this very exceptional lymphedema surgery, we are a reference center in lymphology in France and we have a very large breast surgery center with ICM. The demand is significant, in the early stages. In Europe, it is Brussels, Rome Or even practiced in Barcelona. So Montpellier is one of those rare European centers of excellence!