REPLANTATION SURGERY

In the early days of replantation surgery, if viability was restored t he operation was judged a success. Nowadays restoration of viability a lone is not sufficient to fulfill the criteria of successful replantat ion, which are as follows: Lack of severe systemic disturbances due to the replantation, a ''functional extremity'' according to the definit ion of Chen et al. (1978), no or little pain at the site of the replan tation, good aesthetic results, and an acceptable length of time for r ehabilitation and return to normal life. Successful replantation needs a therapy concept that is based on an exact definition of the amputat ion injury from the viewpoint of the amount of severance, the level of the amputation, and the type of amputation mechanism, complete knowle dge of current replantation indications, and exact selection of patien ts amenable for replantation.