Procedures and even some drug trials once thought toorisky for people aged 80 or higher are safer than previously thought, accordingto a new study.

Researchers compared the after-effects of angioplasty,arterial stents and diagnostic arteriography on a group of people 80 years andolder, with a group between the ages of 50 and 79. In both groups,complications were minimal and none of the elderly people requiredhospitalization. Traditionally, elderly patients have been kept overnight inhospitals for observation for all three procedures.

The purpose of the study was to show that age alone isnot a risk factor, one researcher said. Still, researchers and experts warn thateach case must be taken on an individual basis. Findings of the report werepresented at the annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology onTuesday.