J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 117(3): 174-181, 2016

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Feature topic

CURRENT STATUS OF HEPATOBILIARY PANCREATIC SURGERY FOR ELDERLY PATIENTS

The aging of Japan’s population is becoming pronounced, and hepatobiliary pancreatic surgery for elderly patients is increasingly performed. Elderly patients generally have extensive comorbidities, the risk of malnutrition, and diminished renal, liver, and cardiopulmonary function. Therefore, the indications of surgery should be individually evaluated considering surgical risk, impaired quality of life, and prognosis after surgery. Japanese insurance allows left lateral segmentectomy and partial resection for liver malignancy to be performed by laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic surgery may prevent sarcopenia, which is a predictor of survival in patients with various malignancies or those with liver cirrhosis. Elderly patients often develop delirium or severe aspiration pneumonia postoperatively. Interprofessional collaboration for pain control and early mobilization is the key to prevent severe complications in elderly patients. Thirty percent of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are older than 75 years of age. Morbidity and mortality rates after hepatic resection in the elderly with acceptable cardiopulmonary function are comparable to those in younger individuals with adequate patient selection. Recipient age does not affect the outcome after living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT), as long as patient status is relatively good. Therefore, age alone should not be considered a contraindication for LDLT.

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