[Surgical treatment of patients with cholelithiasis].

The article analyses the results of treatment of 1,506 patients with cholelithiasis in the period between 1977 and 1986. On the grounds of the results four groups of risk were set apart. The lethality rate was 6.6% in the group of patient over 60 years of age. Performance of the operation in jaundice worsens the results 3.5 times, while conduction of choledochotomy in calculous cholecystitis leads to 3-4 fold increase in lethality depending on the patient's age. Diagnostic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in patients with complicated forms of the disease helps in identifying the cause of jaundice before the operation. It is shown that the use of endoscopic papillosphincterotomy, both as the first and, in some cases, as the final stage of the treatment of the most severe patients with choledocholithiasis is promising.