AGE AS A FACTOR IN THE MORTALITY RATE FOR BILIARY‐TRACT OPERATIONS *

Now that elective biliary-tract surgery can be performed routinely with an over-all mortality rate of less than 1 per cent (l), several surgeons advocate removal of gallstones from all younger patients. However, there is still noticeable reluctance to recommend cholecystectomy for treatment of uncomplicated cholelithiasis in patients over 60, because of a clinical impression that the risks of such surgery in the elderly approach the risks of the untreated disease itself. The present study demonstrates that the mortality rate for elective biliary operations in selected patients is independent of age, so it seems illogical to recommend operation for the younger group whiIe denying it to the older group.