[Verification of indications and validity of consent to surgical treatment by transsexuals].

The authors analyze some medico-legal aspects concerning the surgical therapy of transsexualism, as it is regulated by the Law N. 442/1982. At first they examine the problems related to the verification of the indications for the surgical treatment, with particular reference to nosography, differential diagnosis and clinical criterions suitable to evaluate the usefulness of this intervention. Afterward they analyze the problem of the validity of the consent, considering the particular kind of treatment and the psychological connotations of these patients.