[Surgical decision process].

Surgical decision-making procedures can be illustrated as flow charts or decision trees in standard situations. As an example acute appendicitis is shown including techniques of how the methods of medical decision-making are applied in routine conditions. In single patients the possibility must exist to apply the very complex procedure of intuition and art of medical decision-making. However, a quantitative assessment of standard situations should help to improve surgical care especially in the hands of the younger, less experienced surgeon.