The World's Smallest Surgical Needle (Japan)

A Japanese medical device, Kono Seisakusho has developed the world's smallest needle, enabling microsurgeries previously considered impossible.

The world's smallest needle enabled surgeries which were thought to be impossible, and is the only needle that can conduct sutures of blood vessels and nerves with a diameter of 500 µm (0.5 mm) and under.

"No matter how small the market is, if there are patients in need, we should make a product for them.” The company’s president, KONO Junichi.

Surgical procedures that required needles with diameters under 100 µm were deemed unfeasible.

The needle has pioneered a new area of operations, including transplants in which blood vessels with diameters of 0.5 mm are connected, or operations requiring lymphatic vessels and veins to be connected.

Source: Japan.go

The world’s smallest needle, with a diameter of 0.03 mm, guides a suture thread just 0.012 mm wide. Of course, it is invisible to the naked eye, so surgeons look through a microscope during operations.