amputation, in medicine, removal of any part of the body. Commonly the term is restricted to mean surgical removal of a part of or an entire limb, either upper or lower extremity. The reasons for surgical amputation in general are injury, infection, tumour, diabetes, or insufficient blood supply. Persons born without a limb or limbs are said to have suffered congenital amputation. Surgical amputation may be a lifesaving measure for injured persons suffering from both loss of blood and infection; for persons with diabetic or arteriosclerotic gangrene, in whom amputation may be the only method of preventing spread of the gangrene; and for persons suffering from malignant tumours of soft tissue or bone.
Modern reconstructive surgery makes possible the rehabilitation of many badly damaged limbs without amputation, and experience gained in World War II of early and thorough treatment of the severely injured, particularly through the use of blood and plasma, has saved many extremities. Furthermore, modern prostheses (artificial parts), particularly for amputations in the lower extremity, have reduced the handicap for the amputee. The congenital amputee seldom requires any corrective surgery but is helped by prosthetic replacement. There is no definitely known causative factor for congenital amputation, but it probably is not a hereditary deformity.