Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for benign adrenal tumors

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy has been rapidly accepted for treatment of benign adrenal tumors. To evaluate the advantages of laparoscopic adrenalectomy, we examined 55 patients who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy. In all patients, adrenal tumors were successfully removed. The mean operating time was 143 minutes, and the estimated mean blood loss was 49 mL in all patients. The postoperative course was uneventful in all cases. The mean frequency of administration of analgesics was only 2.9 times, and the time elapsed to first walking after surgery was 17 hours. The peak white blood cell count and C-reactive protein values after surgery were 8,266 +/- 1,963/mm3 and 2.5 +/- 1.2 mg/dL, respectively. Of the 55 patients, 44 underwent total adrenalectomy and another 11 underwent partial adrenalectomy, which was introduced in the expectation of preserving normal adrenal cortex; it is therefore indicated in solitary and peripherally located benign tumors. The mean operating time was 154 minutes for the total adrenalectomy, which was longer than that of partial adrenalectomy (92 minutes). The estimated blood loss was 50 mL for the total and 46 mL for the partial adrenalectomy. The postoperative course was uneventful and surgical outcome was excellent in each group. In conclusion, our results are encouraging enough to suggest that laparoscopic adrenalectomy should be a preferential therapeutic option for benign adrenal tumors; also, partial adrenalectomy could be a safe, effective, and less invasive procedure in selected cases.