Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the elderly over 75 years old: a survey

Whilst endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is being practiced on increasingly older patients, its benefits have not been well studied. This study assessed the clinical benefit of ERCP for subjects aged 75 and over, including follow-up at 3 months of geriatric functional parameters and lifestyle. This is a prospective mono-centric, cohort study. All patients aged 75 and over receiving ERCP were enrolled and monitored for a period of 3 months. We recorded 53 inclusions between November 1st 2014 to 31 May 2015. Our "ill-type" was a fragile polypathology woman of 85 years, living at home, with loss of autonomy for instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Lithiasis was diagnosed in 56.6% of cases, and malignant stenosis in 35.8% of cases. The success rate was 88.7% with a 5.7% complication rate. At 3 months, we observed no clinically significant change in ADL parameters, IADL and lifestyle. Our follow-up data support the practice of ERCP in geriatric populations.