Role of age on the outcome of liver surgery. A single institution experience

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of age on different types of liver surgery. Between 2002 and 2007, 50 patients underwent a variety of liver surgical procedures due to primary or metastatic tumours. Of these, 24 were 70 years old or older, and 26 patients were younger than 70 years old at the time of the operation. Among the patients included in the study, 22 underwent radiofrequency ablation. Another 11 underwent non-anatomical liver resection. The remaining 17 patients underwent liver resection, with more than three segments resected. The type of procedure, duration of operation, estimated blood loss, and postoperative death and morbidity rates were not significantly different between the two groups. The mean survival of patients that underwent radiofrequency ablation or non-anatomical resection was not significantly different between the two groups. However, in the patients in which liver resection was performed, mean survival was significantly greater in the younger group. These results indicate that hepatic resection is a safe and feasible procedure in elderly patients. The postoperative outcome in this age group is comparable of that of younger patients.