[Quality of life as deciding criterion in routine practice and in research by the surgeon]

Symptoms and their effects on quality of life are reasons for the patient to consult the physician. They are the basis for active treatment, choice of therapeutic concepts and evaluation of success. However, quality of live parameters are rarely used and accepted as relevant endpoints to be determined after surgical interventions. 5 typical clinical situations demonstrate that only evaluating different dimensions of quality of life parameters can help to examine the success of surgical interventions. It is therefore emphasized that such parameters should be more widely used in everyday clinical case as well as in surgical research.