Surgery
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We sought to obtain unbiased estimates of open cholecystectomy outcomes in a population-based cohort of elderly patients during the immediate prelaparoscopic era. ⋯ This study provides an unbiased assessment of open cholecystectomy outcomes necessary for future comparisons of open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy in elderly patients. Estimates of the excess mortality rates associated with CBDE provide a benchmark for assessing the outcomes of alternative strategies for managing common duct stones during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Findings regarding the rates of retained or recurrent common bile duct stones in patients undergoing simple cholecystectomy and IOC challenge widespread beliefs about the limited clinical importance of unsuspected common duct stones, at least in the elderly population, and are relevant to the debate about routine IOC.