Legal implications of intraoperative consultation.

As medicine evolves, not only the complexity of its technology but the complexity of the legal relationships between its practitioners increases. The legal doctrines and principles involved in this area are not themselves new. However, the myriad relationships between the players in this setting give rise to some of the most interesting factual and analytical questions in the law. With a sanguine outlook, it is to be hoped that the law's determination of responsibility and liability in this complicated area will be fair, rational, and constructive.