[The preventive treatment of general risks prior to gynaecological operations (author's transl)]

The operative treatment of high risk patients is of increasing importance in gynaecology. The preoperative preventive treatment of latent general problems is an important tool in the prevention of intraoperative and postoperative complications. The experience of the department for gynaecology in Hanover, Germany, during 1976 is reported. Among 1583 major operations 158 were carried out on patients in the risk class III. Guidelines are described for the preventive treatment of cardiac, bronchopulmonary, hypertensive and diabetic risks. The importance of obesity and advanced age is discussed in our cases.