Endoscopic evaluation of XXXX in the elderly.

@entity1 @entity189 @entity5 @entity1282
A survey of 100 consecutive endoscopies on elderly @entity1 with suspected obstructive @entity1282 is reported. Seventy-eight @entity1 had positive findings and one to three lesions were reported in these cases. Benign stricture of the oesophagus was the commonest finding, and led to active treatment (dilation) in most cases either with Hurst bougies or Eder dilators. Fifteen @entity1 had @entity5 (12 oesophagus, three stomach). All of those with @entity189 received some form of active treatment, either in the form of radiotherapy, surgery, dilation or Celestin tube insertion. Six @entity1 with negative endoscopies had diagnoses established by other means and in 14 no cause was identified, but in four of these symptoms settled after endoscopy. The duration of @entity1282 was not particularly helpful clinically. Two thirds of 'endoscopically normal' @entity1 had short histories with @entity1282 for less than 1 year, as did half of the @entity1 with benign stricture. Most @entity1 who were found to be malignant had experienced @entity1282 for only a short time although one @entity1 had a 4-year history! Upper gastro-intestinal endoscopy is a safe and valuable procedure in elderly @entity1 with @entity1282 and often leads to positive therapeutic intervention even in quite frail subjects.
