title: Laparoscopy-assisted surgery for colorectal neoplasm is justifiable regardless of advanced age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Laparoscopy-assisted surgery has been applied in patients with colorectal disease and resulted in favorable outcome compared with open surgery. However, it is not reported exclusively in terms of the curative mean in the geriatric patients with colorectal neoplasm yet. The aim of this study was to confirm the pros and cons of laparoscopy-assisted surgery for colorectal neoplasm in geriatric patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-four patients with colorectal neoplasm underwent laparoscopic surgery and all their charts were retrospectively reviewed. Fourteen patients were 75 years of age or older and compared with the remaining non-aged 60 patients in STUDY 1, and also compared with 46 aged patients who underwent open surgery in STUDY 2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In STUDY 1, the compiled total frequency of preoperative concomitant disease was significantly higher in the LAS-aged group. In STUDY 2, the mean operative time of the laparoscopic group was significantly longer than that of the open group. Mean estimated blood loss of the laparoscopic group was significantly smaller than that in the open group. Postoperative oral resumption and duration of hospital stay tended to be shorter in the laparoscopic group than in the open group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Laparoscopy-assisted surgery is a satisfactory treatment for colorectal neoplasm, even in geriatric patients.
authors.affiliation: The First Department of Surgery, Kyorin University, School of Medicine, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan. Hiroelvis@AOL.com
authors.forename: Hiroyoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: Tadahiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masaki
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Atomi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural; D003082:Colectomy / Q000379:methods*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D012189:Retrospective Studies