Meaning & use
microsurgery
Last updated
UK/ˈmaɪ.krəʊˌsɜː.dʒər.i/
US/ˈmaɪ.kroʊˌsɜːr.dʒər.i/
Meaning
noununcountablemedicaltechnical
Surgery on extremely small body structures using an operating microscope and very fine instruments.
Grammar: No plural; say perform microsurgery, not a microsurgery, in general use.
Patterns
- perform microsurgery
- microsurgery on something
- microsurgery to repair something
The team used microsurgery to reattach the tiny blood vessels in the finger.
Eye microsurgery requires steady hands and specialized training.
Common combinations
- perform microsurgery
- Only trained teams perform microsurgery on infants.
- microsurgery to repair a nerve
- The plan was microsurgery to repair a nerve in the wrist.
- reconstructive microsurgery
- Reconstructive microsurgery can restore blood flow after injury.
Synonyms and how they differ
- delicate surgery
- Describes difficulty generally, but lacks the required microscope-and-instruments meaning.
Word family
- microsurgical adjective
- Relating to operations done under a microscope with very small tools.
- microscopically adverb
- In a way that needs or uses a microscope.
Practice
Which detail is essential to microsurgery?
Choose one answer.
The defining equipment is magnification plus precision instruments; the other choices are ordinary care, not microsurgery.
Make it your own
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