[Biliary lithiasis in patients aged over 70 years: considerations on 125 operations]

An experience with 125 over 70 aged patients, undergone surgery for biliary lithiasis, is here reported. These operations represent 17 percent on the whole performed ones for non malignant biliary tract diseases in Institute of Surgical Pathology of the University of Parma. As the age gets elder, we can see a percent increase of complications of lithiasis, and particularly of acute cholecystitis, of common bile duct diseases and generally of emergencies. Mortality rate was 5,6%. After cholecystectomy for uncomplicated gallstones mortality rate was zero. After operations for complications of cholelithiasis it was 9.3% (6,8% in elective, 18,7% in emergent surgery). According to the Authors, these results suggest that surgical elective indications in the aged patients have to be extensive, in order to reduce the risk of worse and often unavoidable complications.