title: Surgical results of pancreatoduodenectomy in elderly patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the safety and feasibility of pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) in elderly patients, we investigated the clinical characteristics of patients aged ≥75 years, who underwent this procedure at our hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between November 2005 and December 2010, 84 patients underwent PD at Tokushima University Hospital. We analyzed the clinicopathological data and outcomes after PD in patients aged ≥75 years compared with those in patients <75 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The preoperative characteristics of the elderly group (n = 28) were similar to those of the younger group (n = 56). The hemoglobin and albumin levels were significantly lower in the elderly patients (P < 0.05), who also had a higher rate of preoperative pulmonary dysfunction (P < 0.05). The operation time and intraoperative blood loss did not differ significantly between the groups, but the incidence of pneumonia was higher in the elderly group (P < 0.05). The overall survival rate did not differ significantly between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Advanced age alone does not have an adverse effect on surgical outcomes, including postoperative complications and long-term prognosis. Therefore, PD may be justified for selected elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The University of Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima, Tokushima, 770-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Utsunomiya
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morine
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imura
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikemoto
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Mami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanamoto
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanaoka
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwahashi
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saitoh
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016577:Pancreaticoduodenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome