The replantation of an amputated tongue by supermicrosurgery

Abstract

The tongue has important roles in deglutition, speech, airway protection, taste, and sexual function, and its amputation is very serious. Using supermicrosurgical techniques, we replanted successfully a patient's tongue, the distal part of which had been amputated by the bite of another person, through the anastomosis of a blood vessel that was only 0.7–0.8 mm. The result was that the state of the replanted tongue was relatively good both functionally and aesthetically, and the patient was very satisfied.