[Perioperative analgesia for opioid tolerant patients].

In this review article the special anesthesiological problems of opioid tolerance and surgical interventions will be presented. These affect patients with a long-term opioid therapy of chronic pain, addicts with long-term substitution therapy and addicts with current or previous heroin addiction ("clean"). For all patient groups a guarantee of continuous and adequate analgesia (avoidance of fear and increasing patient compliance), exploiting suitable regional anesthesia or regional analgesia procedures when possible, and prevention of a physical opioid withdrawal syndrome have utmost priority.