[Minimally invasive treatment of cholelithiasis in the elderly]

As cholelithiasis has an incidence which is proportional to the age of the patient, it is often detected in the elderly, who have a higher operative risk. Therefore the therapeutic approach should involve low risk and low invasive techniques. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of combined laparoscopic and endoscopic treatment in biliary tract lithiasis and gallstones.

One hundred and fifty-seven patients over 60 years old affected by cholelithiasis have been treated with minimally invasive techniques. Mean age was 68+/-5.9 years (range 60-85) and male/female ratio was 1:1.5. All the patients underwent a preoperative screening (abdominal ultrasound, liver functional tests) to evaluate the risk of choledocholithiasis associated to cholelithiasis. An ultrasound examination was performed postoperatively after 15 days and then after 6 months.

No death due to cholecystectomy or endoscopic sphincterotomy was registered, while morbility was 5.7%. Mean hospital stay was 2+/-1.67 days which reached 5.3+/-0.7 days in case of endoscopic sphincterotomy with ERCP.

Cholecystectomy and endoscopic sphincterotomy revealed to be low risk techniques and therefore they will to become the gold-standard treatment of cholelithiasis in the elderly.