Outcomes of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in octogenarians.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Extremely elderly patients usually present with complicated gallstone disease and are less likely to undergo definitive treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in octogenarians, with an interest in patients presenting initially with complicated gallstone disease and pancreatitis who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy during the same hospitalization. METHODS: Data for 42 patients > or = 80 years who underwent an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy between January 2007 and August 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Indications for the procedure were stratified into 2 groups: Outpatients, who were admitted electively to undergo cholecystectomy, and Inpatients, who came to our Emergency Room due to complicated biliary diseases. Data analysis included age, sex, ASA score, conversion to open surgery, time spent under general anesthesia, and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Mean age was 83.9 years; 19 (45.2%) were men. Thirteen patients (30.9%) were in the outpatient group, and 13 (30.9%) had a preoperative ASA of 3. Fourteen patients (33.3%) needed ICU. Two patients (4.8%) had their surgery converted. There were 7 (16.7%) postoperative complications, all of them classified as Dindo-Clavien I or II. No differences were noted between groups regarding conversion rates or complications. We had no mortalities in this series. There was no difference in hospital length of stay between the groups. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the extremely elderly is safe, with acceptable morbidity. Patients with complicated gallstone disease seem not to have worse postoperative outcomes once the initial diagnosis is properly treated and would benefit from definitive therapy during the same hospitalization.

Laparoscopic enucleation of pancreatic insulinomas.

Insulinomas are rare endocrine pancreatic tumors whose incidence has been increasing in recent years owing to early detection by clinical and radiologic, such as remote neural monitoring, computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound (US) findings. The classical treatment consists of open surgical resection, which is associated with relative morbidity and mortality rates. The aim of this paper was to present 5 patients who were diagnosed with pancreatic insulinomas that were treated by laparoscopic resection. Five (5) patients, ranging from 14 to 45 years and presenting with classical Whipple Triad, had lesions ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 cm by CT (body and tail of the pancreas), which were subsequently diagnosed as insulinomas. An ecoendoscopy showed no combined lesions. They were treated by a laparoscopic resection. Glicemic levels were controlled during surgery with an expected glucose rise. All patients had an uneventfull recovery. The mean length of follow-up is 14 months. The laparoscopic resection of pancreatic insulinomas is a reliable procedure for superficial lesions in the body and tail of the pancreas.