Complications of Cholecystectomy with Laparoscopic and Open Methods in Patients with More than 50 Years of Age

Abstract

Background: Due to less tolerant to surgery stress in elderly patients, their mortality and morbidity rates are high in open abdominal surgery. The purpose of this study was to compare laparoscopic cholecystectomy and laparotomy in patients aged over 50 years. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 50 patients with cholecystitis aged more than 50 years that underwent laparoscopy and laparotomy during 2010 to 2012 in Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Babol, Iran. The demographic data of all patients such as age, length of hospitalization and long-term complications were collected. Data were analyzed using chi-square and t tests and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Findings: The mean age of the patients was 56.44 ± 5.38 and 62.24 ± 11.45 years in laparoscopy and laparotomy groups, respectively (P < 0.001). The length of hospitalization was 10.00 ± 00.00 and 3.44 ± 1.68 days in laparoscopy and laparotomy groups, respectively (P < 0.001). Long-term postoperative complications were 4% and 12% in laparoscopy and laparotomy group, respectively (P = 0.900). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe and appropriate method as first-line treatment in people over the 50 years of age.

Keywords

• Cholecystectomy
• Laparoscopy
• Gallbladder
• Open cholecystectomy