Laparoscopic adrenalectomy: 10 years experience

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is considered the standard technique for the surgical removal of the adrenal gland. Shorter length of stay, decrease in postoperative pain and reduced complication are all the advantages of the laparoscopic approach. This report is about a 10-year single experience with laparoscopic adrenalectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 34 lateral transperitonial laparoscopic adrenalectomies were performed. 24 right-sided lesions and 10 left-sided lesions were removed. The indications for surgery were aldosteronoma in 20 patients and nonfunctioning adenoma in 10 patients, and 1 child underwent bilateral adrenalectomy for bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. RESULTS: All except one had successful laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Complication occurred in one patient who required open conversion because of bleeding. In addition, one patient suffered a pancreatic injury where the patient was managed conservatively. The average operative time was 2 hours and 30 minutes and the hospital stay was 2.5 days. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is technically feasible and reproducible. Lateral transperitoneal approach offers advantages including better visibility and easy access to other organ systems. There is always a learning curve for the urological laproscopy.