Background: Surgery in the senior age has specific problems. Today many more people over 65 years need surgery in context with increasing age of the population. Development and practice of miniinvasive surgery allows performing operations also in elderly patients. The effect of insufflations of carbon dioxide and operation position of patients ware examined, namely at this group of risk patients.
Method and results: Analysis of literary reports and own experiences to define possibilities and limits of laparoscopic surgery (LS) in senior age. Negative influence of capnoperitoneum is manifested by alteration of blood circulation, but almost all old people tolerate it well. Only old patients with severe cardiopulmonary decompensation are not eligible for LS. Diagnostic LS manages to find the reason of right half abdomen symptoms in 90% cases. LS cholecystectomy is gold standard for treatment symptomatic cholecystolithiasis. Acute and elective LS are associated with the lower perioperative morbidity in comparison with open cholecystectomy. LS in the hiatus region has favourable long term results. Seniors have no limitation for intestine, colon, liver, spleen, stomach, and retroperitoneum LS. Disputable is LS in herniology.
Conclusions: LS is a useful and safe diagnostic and therapeutic method in senior age.