Background : This study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) in patients 80 years of age and older.

Methods : From March 2001 to October 2020, 363 patients underwent LCBDE with stone removal. We performed a retrospective study and grouped patients into groups according to age (younger than 80 years [n = 240] and 80 years or older [n = 123]). Based on these groups, we compared patient demographics, disease characteristics, surgical outcomes, and postoperative complications. We also identified the risk factors for postoperative complications of LCBDE with stone removal in the older age group.

Results : The older age group had a higher proportion of patients with Charlson comorbidity index ≥ 5 (P < 0.001) and ASA physical status classification ≥ 3 (P < 0.001). The older age group had longer postoperative hospital stays compared to the younger group (7.5 ± 6.1 days vs. 6.2 ± 3.9 days, P = 0.013) but there were no significant differences between groups according to postoperative complications (13.8% vs. 20.3%, P = 0.130). The risk factors for postoperative complications according to multivariate analysis were Charlson’s morbidity index ≥ 5 (OR = 2.307; 95% CI 1.162–4.579, P = 0.017) and operative time >2 h (OR = 3.204; 95% CI 1.802–5.695, P < 0.001).

Conclusions : LCBDE can be performed safely in patients aged 80 years or older if they have few comorbidities and when the operation time is less than 2 hours.