title: Open versus laparoscopic approach in the treatment of abdominal emergencies in elderly population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the role of laparoscopy in the treatment of surgical emergency in old population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over-70 years-old patients submitted to emergency abdominal surgery from January 2013 to December 2014 were collected and grouped according to admission diagnoses. These accounted small bowel obstruction, colonic acute disease, appendicitis, ventral hernia, gastro-duodenal perforation, biliary disease. In each group it was analyzed the operation time (OT), the morbidity rate and the mortality rate comparing open and laparoscopic management using T-test and Chi-square test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  159 over 70-years-old patients underwent emergency surgery in the General and Emergency surgery Operative Unit (O.U.) of the Policlinic of Palermo. 75 patients were managed by a laparoscopic approach and 84 underwent traditional open emergency surgery. T-Test for OT and Chi-square test for morbidity rate and mortality rate showed no differences in small bowel emergencies (p=0,4; 0,25<p<0,9; 0,25<p<0,9), in colonic acute diseases (p=0,35; 0,25<p<0,9; 0,25<p<0,9), in appendicitis (p=0,22; 0,05<p<0,1; 0,25<p<0,9), in complicated ventral hernia (p=0,12; p>0,9; p>0,95) and in gastro-duodenal perforation (p=0,9; p>0.9; p>0.95). In cholecystitis, laparoscopy group showed lower OT (T-Test: p= 0,0002) while Chi-square test for morbidity rate (0,1<p<0,25) and mortality rate (0,25<p<0,9) showed no differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The collected data showed the feasibility of laparoscopic management as an alternative to open surgery in surgical emergencies in elderly population.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cocorullo
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Falco
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tutino
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scerrino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salamone
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Licari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gulotta
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D000368:Aged; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D004638:Emergency Treatment; D006555:Hernia, Ventral / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy