[Hans von Haberer--the beginnings of reconstructive carotid surgery].

Hans von Haberer (1875-1958) gained wide experience in the reconstructive surgery of vascular aneurysms at the universities of Innsbruck, Graz, Düsseldorf and Cologne. In this period he operated on 421 vascular aneurysms--including 30 carotid aneurysms--mainly by means of direct circular vascular suture. In 1914 von Haberer described the first repair of a carotid aneurysm. Therefore he is the pioneer of reconstructive carotid surgery. Based on detailed clinical and operation reports on approximately 16,000 cases, written by Hans von Haberer between 1904 and 1949, and on the contemporary literature, we describe his experience in vascular surgery.