title: Comparison of aged and young adult patients with cholelithiasis: a prospective controlled study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgical operations for gallstones are associated with increased perioperative mortality in the elderly. The presence of pre-existing cardiovascular disease and acute cholangitis might be the cause as found in the literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  From August 1989 to December 1990, twenty-nine patients (Age > or = 70 years) with cholelithiasis undergoing biliary surgery in Veterans General Hospital-Taipei were collected as experimental group. Twenty-nine patients from 62 patients (Age < or = 50 years) with cholelithiasis were selected as control group. The basic data, symptomatology, blood biochemistry, peri-operative complications, mortality and gallstone compositions were analyzed and compared between both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a higher male to female ratio (4.8:1) in the aged group. Aged patients had higher incidence of common bile duct stone (11/29 versus 3/29, P < 0.025), while young adult patients had higher incidence of intrahepatic stone (1/29 versus 10/29, P < 0.05). The perioperative morbidity and mortality was higher in the aged group (37.9% and 3.4%) as compared with the young age group (3.4% and 0%, P < 0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aged cholelithiatic patients were associated with male preponderance, more common bile duct stones, higher perioperative morbidity and mortality, as compared with the young adult cholelithiatic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Jwo
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors