To observe the therapeutic effect of gastroscopy combined with stone crushers and snares in the treatment of giant gastric stones in elderly patients.

A total of 103 elderly patients with giant gastric stones diagnosed under endoscopy hospitalized in the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from February 2020 to May 2023 were enrolled. All patients were randomly divided into the control group (51 cases) and the observation group (52 cases) according to a random number table. The control group was treated with traditional lithotripters under endoscopy, followed by oral sodium bicarbonate. The observation group was treated with lithotripters combined with snares, followed by oral sodium bicarbonate. The total effective rate, endoscopic operation time, patient comfort, first meal time, length of hospital stay and total hospitalization cost between two groups were compared using t test or χ² test.

There was no statistically significant difference in the total effective rate between the two groups (χ²=0.020, P > 0.05). The operation time of the observation group was significantly less than that of the control group (t=3.751, P < 0.01). The visual analogue scale score in observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (t=9.578, P < 0.01). The number of stone crushers used in the observation group was significantly less than that in the control group (t=4.057, P < 0.01). The hospitalization cost in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (t=2.911, P < 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in average meal time and length of hospital stay between the two groups (t=0.923 and 0.463, P > 0.05).

The combination of gastroscopic lithotripsy and snare for the treatment of giant gastric stones in the elderly has the advantages of short surgical operation time, high patient comfort, and low hospitalization costs, which is worthy of clinical promotion.