[2 years of emergency digestive surgery - pathology, interventions and results].

During 1978 and 1979, 887 laparotomies were performed at the Digestive Surgery Clinic of the University of Geneva. Half the operations were appendectomies while the rest were laparotomies for ileus, gastroduodenal bleeding and inguinal hernia. The mortality was low, but exploratory laparotomy, choleperitonitis and gastrocolic ileus are dangerous in the elderly.