Preoperative geriatric assessment of urological patients: a narrative review

The proportion of older people is increasing disproportionately. The age between 60 and 65 years is seen as the transition to 'old age'. Frailty is a risk factor for morbidity, mortality, and complications in the context of medical interventions or adverse effects of drug therapies. One of the core components of frailty, the age-related loss of muscle mass, is sarcopenia. Is there an influence of frailty, as well as sarcopenia and some other aspects, i.e. malnutrition, on the outcome in elderly urologic patients?

These phenomena of aging correlate with the incidence postoperative complication, infections, readmission rates or mortality. There are numerous studies on the value and informative value of the 5-item frailty index or the G8 questionnaire in older urological patients.

Geriatric assessment is becoming increasingly important in urological surgery. Simple instruments that are practicable in clinical routine are required in this clinical setting. Which method of preoperative assessment is chosen is secondary. It is important that the risk of geriatric syndromes is assessed prior to surgical interventions in order to determine the most suitable therapeutic approach for each patient.