Abstract
Is therapeutic intervention necessary in gallstone disease? That is, if we find gallstones, should we do anything about them? As a surgeon expressing a view on this question, I shall consider the incidence of gallstones in the general population and describe the natural history of untreated gallstone disease, particularly the influence of advancing age. I shall then assess the results of gall-bladder surgery in the elderly compared with younger, fitter patients, in terms of the morbidity and mortality associated with increasing age. I shall also comment on an alternative to cholecystectomy commonly used in the treatment of elderly and medically unfit gallstone patients.
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© 1990 Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg
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Ashby, B.S. (1990). Is Therapeutic Intervention Necessary in Gallstone Disease: The Surgeon’s Point of View. In: Swobodnik, W., Soloway, R.D., Ditschuneit, H. (eds) Gallstone Disease. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74619-2_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74619-2_9
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