[Age as a risk factor]

Risk factors like myocardial infarction, hypertension, and diabetes are increasing with age and cause higher perioperative mortality and morbidity. Advanced and complicated stages of various malignant and benign diseases of colon, gall bladder and bile ducts, stomach and great vessels are also more common in the aged population and therefore enlarge the risks of surgery. There is no dependency between age and frequency of intraoperative complications. No difference could be proven in regard to the malignancy of colorectal cancer in patients younger than 50 and older than 80 years.