Abstract
Age alone is no longer a contraindication to surgery. Proper preoperative treatment and use of adjuvant therapy reduce the operative risk in the aged.
Elderly patients do not tolerate postoperative complications well; thus, early recognition and treatment of complications are essential.
Subradical operations or simple palliative procedures for cancer are often best in this age group. Multiple-stage procedures should be considered in conditions requiring extensive surgery.
Emergency surgery is far more dangerous than elective surgery in the aged; therefore, early elective surgical treatment of conditions likely to cause surgical emergencies is advised.