Courses & Registration

Basic Structure of the Program

Three levels of training are available

• Basic and advanced microsurgical training
• Experimental microsurgical research
• Observation of clinical microsurgery

Basic Microsurgical Courses

1. Basic preparation for learning microsurgery (2 to 5 hours)
   • Microsurgical equipment set-up
   • Familiarity with operating microscope and loupes
   • Microsurgical instrument care
   • Handling microsurgical sutures and instruments
   • Review of male infertility microsurgical videos
2. Basic Microsurgical technique (10 to 40 hours)
   • Learning to handle microsurgical instruments
     1. Hand position when holding instruments
     2. Control of hand tremor
     3. Use of the microsurgical needle holder and forceps
     4. Needle-holding position (Forehand or Backhand)
   • Basic suturing technique with a practice card
     1. Passing the needle through tissue
     2. Tying a microsurgical knot
   • Learning to use Silicone tubing for end-to-end anastomosis with microdot technique
   • Developing basic microsurgical suturing techniques for both hands

Advanced Microsurgical Courses

1. Advanced Microsurgical Courses of Male Infertility (35 to 70 hours)
   • Lecture and review our current videotapes:
     • Microsurgical Vasovasostomy: The Microdot Method of Precision Suture Placement (1996)
     • No-Scalpel Vasectomy: with a step-by-step instruction (1996)
     • Mini-incision Microsurgical Subinguinal Varicocelectomy with Delivery of the Testis (1995)
     • Microsurgical Epididymal Sperm Aspiration with ICSI (1996)
     • Creation of A Hypospadias Dog Model and Microsurgical Hypospadias Reconstruction Using A Tubularized Mucosal Graft (1996)
     • The Autogenous Sperm Reservoir (1995)
     • Interviews on Male Infertility with ABC, CBS, NBC and others. (1996)
     • State-of- the-art lectures for male and female infertility treatment (1997)
     • Triangulation End-to-side Microsurgical Vasoepididymostomy (1998)
     • Microdissection TESE: Sperm Retrieval in Non-obstructive Azoospermia (1998)
   • Evaluation of participant's current microsurgical skills
   • Mastery of microsuture technique and tying skills on the practice card
   • Practice using fine size silicone tubing for end-to-end microdot technique or end-to-side anastomosis with one or two layers (10-0 or 11-0 sutures)
   • Mastery of the end-to-end technique using two or three layers
   • Use of vasectomy segments for two or three layers with microdot technique
   • Mastery of the use of bipolar forceps to control bleeding
   • Use of the rat model for microsurgical vasovasostomy with microdot technique
   • Rat vasoepididymostomy: end-to-end and end-to-side techniques
2. Special Advanced Microsurgical Training Courses of Male Infertility (14 to 20 hours)
   • Micropuncture Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (MESA) in the rat
   • Testicular Sperm Aspiration (TESA) in the rat
   • Microdissection TESE Technique
   • Triangulation end-to-side microsurgical vasoepididymostomy
3. Microvascular and Reconstructive Microsurgical Course (35 Hours)

• Free-flap microsurgical techniques
• Sciatic nerve repair
• Tubule re-anastomosis
• Microsurgical organ transplantation

Certificate

Participants who have completed this program and demonstrated satisfactory microsurgical or NSV skills will receive a letter certifying satisfactory completion of the microsurgical training course and a certificate for microsurgical training course.

Program Schedule and Registration Fee

The registration fee for each of the microsurgical course is required and payable to the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery. For the foreign participants, deposits may be submitted with a foreign draft payable in U.S. dollars with a correspondent US Bank.

Appointments should be made at least six to ten weeks in advance. For further information about this one-one hands-on microsurgical training program, please directly contact us through the following address:

Marc Goldstein, M.D.
Matthew P. Hardy Distinguished Professor in Reproductive Medicine and Urology
Surgeon-in-Chief, Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery
Co-Director, Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery
The New York Presbyterian Hospital- Weill Medical College of Cornell University
525 E. 68th Street
New York, NY 10065
Tel: (212) 746-5470

Philip S. Li, M.D.
Professor of Research in Urology, and Reproductive Medicine
Director, Microsurgical Training and Research Program
Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery
Cornell Institute for Reproductive Medicine
The New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Medical College of Cornell University
525 East 68th Street
New York, NY 10065
(212) 746-5762 or /5768
E-mail: psli@med.cornell.edu