One hundred and seventy two consecutive patients of 70 years or older
undergoing cholecystectomy at laparotomy for gallbladder stone disease
during a five-year period in Tampere University Hospital were studied
to evaluate the present safety of ''conventional'' cholecystectomy in
the elderly. One hundred and six (62 %) underwent emergency or urgent
cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis and 66 (33 %) elective cholec
ystectomy. The mortality was zero per cent in elective operations as c
ompared to 5 % in emergency/urgent operations (P < 0.001). The complic
ation rate was 8 % in elective operations compared to 25 % in emergenc
y/urgent operations (P < 0.001). These results suggest that convention
al cholecystectomy is a very safe operation In the elderly, when perfo
rmed electively. The development of new methods to treat gallbladder s
tone disease, such as laparoscopic cholecystectomy, must be undertaken
from this background.