Retrospective of the replantation of severed limbs in the People's Republic of China: current status and prospects.

Thirty-eight years have past since Chinese surgeons first reported the successful replantation of a severed limb. The following article reports the current status of replantation surgery in the People's Republic of China, addresses issues of complex replantation and reconstruction of severed limbs, and discusses future prospects and implications for replantation microsurgery.