20 patients with histologically verified carcinoma of the vulva fulfilled the following conditions: general operability, preoperative lymphography, radical vulvectomy with inguinal lymph node resection and histological examination of all lymph nodes. It was studied how far the preoperative lymphography plays a role for the strategy of operative treatment of carcinoma of the vulva and eventually in the limitation of risks of operative treatment. A survey of the lymphatic drainage of the vulva underlines the importance of the knowledge of the lymphatic pathways for the operation and for the lymphography as performed in this hospital since 1972. The results suggest that lymphography shows an unacceptable high number of false-negative results in cases of metastatic involvement of the inguinal nodes (7 out of 10 cases), whereas it is reliable for the judgment of the iliac and paraaortal nodes. For this reason the resection of the inguinal nodes remains a necessary part of radical vulvectomy. The additional removal of intrapelvic lymph nodes has been restricted to patients with lymphographic signs of positive nodes. In our opinion preoperative lymphography is of considerable value to minimize the operative risk for patients with carcinoma of the vulva by means of a more precise preoperative diagnosis, stage-oriented therapy and postoperative control.