| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3325394 | International Journal of Gerontology | 2013 | 5 Pages |
SummaryBackground and aimsLaparoscopic colorectal surgery, with its minimally invasive nature, appears to be the ideal choice for minimizing postoperative complications. Most of the studies available on laparoscopic colorectal surgery have focused on highly selected patient groups with low risk. As the proportion of elderly people steadily increases, colorectal surgeons will have an increasing number of elderly patients with colorectal cancer. We aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of laparoscopic colorectal surgery for carcinoma in patients aged 65 years or older.Materials and methodsA retrospective, comparative analysis was conducted from a prospective database of all consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer from January 2007 to September 2009.ResultsA total of 59 elderly patients (age ≥ 65 years, Group A), matched with 106 younger patients (age < 65 years, Group B), were enrolled in this analysis. Based on the study design, although the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score was significantly higher in Group A than in Group B (p = 0.003), owing to Group A being considerably older (70.05 vs. 52.89 years) and having more respiratory diseases and anemia, the operative data were still comparable between the two groups in terms of the operating time, estimated blood loss, conversion rate, and clearance extent. Postoperatively, except for the time to flatus, for which the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.006) with 5.61 days for Group A versus 4.8 days for Group B, the proportions of patients with at least one complication were 17.5% and 22% in the younger and older patients, respectively, but the difference was not statistically significant. Other postoperative complications were comparable between the groups with regard to reoperation, mean length of hospital stay, hospital stay complications, and time to liquid diet.ConclusionLaparoscopic surgery for carcinoma of the colorectum is a safe and effective approach in elderly patients, as its rate of postoperative complications appears to be comparable, irrespective of age.
