Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the elderly - A prospective study

Background: The aim of this prospective study was to determine the feasability and the complications or benefits of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in the patients older than 75 years. Methods: From January 1992 to July 1998, a total of 863 patients underwent LC, of these patients, 102 patients older than 75 years (group 1) were compared with 761 younger patients (group 2). Results: In the elderly, 35.3% were at high surgical risk (American Society of Anesthesiology [ASA] III and ASA TV). The conversion rate to open cholecystectomy (OC) was 21.6%. The mean length of hospital stay was 6.9 days for both laparoscopy and conversion. Morbidity and mortality rates were 13.7% and 1%, respectively. No patient suffered intraoperative cardiopulmonary complication, and there was no reoperation in the elderly. Conclusions: Elderly patients experience more complications and longer duration of hospital stay than younger patients. However, our results compare favorably with other OC studies in elderly patients.