A short history of the microsurgery training and research laboratory at Gulhane Military Medical Academy.

Microsurgical techniques have played a crucial role in the development of neurosurgery and microsurgical education has an involuting role to gain surgical competence in neurosurgery. Microsurgery laboratory at Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GMMA) was established in 1985 by Prof. Erdener Timurkaynak within the Research-Development Building. From the beginning, education of the surgeons in microsurgery has been regarded as the essential function of this center, but many experimental and anatomical researches have also taken place in this laboratory. Over the past twenty-five years, 288 courses had been held in the microsurgical laboratory and more than 1000 surgeons from different fields and specialties were trained. Many of them conducted hundreds of research projects and published scientific papers during this period. This laboratory enters in the 21st century as a dynamic research and education center committed to the continuing delivery of education, as well as ongoing research of microsurgery for the coming 100 years.