[Current possibilities of the surgical correction of intersexual states].

The diagnosis of genital anomalies must be approached with the utmost care, for the results will decide the future sexual life of the patient. Before corrective surgery is performed, it is absolutely necessary to complete all endocrinologic and genetic studies. It is possible to predict with a high degree of confidence the hormonal and sexual development of intersexual children during puberty and thus to choose the "right" operation for a given patient. So occasionally situations will arise in which the sex that is selected for a child differs from its gonadal or chromosomal sex. In author's experience almost all genital anomalies can be surgically corrected with a very good cosmetic result. It is recognised that in a great number of cases surgery alone cannot be sufficient treatment, endocrinological and psychological management are equally important. It is current opinion that early corrective surgery must be advised.