Three microsurgical courses in Catania.

The utilization of microsurgical techniques in the surgical disciplines is now accepted worldwide, and many surgeons should receive the opportunity of learning these techniques. To meet this requirement, microsurgical courses have been organized and comprise both theoretical aspects and, especially, practical demonstrations. A one-week course usually allows attending surgeons to get familiar with magnification and to perform microvascular anastomoses, vasovasostomy, tubal reconstruction, sciatic nerve suture, and end-to-side portacaval shunt, a useful exercise before dealing with rodent organ transplantation. It is important to underline that the skill supplied by these microsurgical courses is not enough to start clinical applications of microsurgery; to this end, training must continue long after the course has been finished.