Laparoscopic Partial Adrenalectomy

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy became the gold standard for adrenal disease, from incidentaloma to cancer. Partial adrenalectomy is difficult to accept due to its technical difficulties as well as hemorrhagic risk and a consensus has not been reached. On the other hand, in selected cases of benign adrenal tumors, adrenalectomy may be futile, partial resections being perfectly justified and with lower hemorrhagic risks. For functioning tumors smaller than 3 cm with an anterior or lateral location, partial adrenalectomy may be indicated. The key points reside in adenoma identification, preservation of the remaining glandular parenchyma and its blood supply with dissection in the space between the adenoma and the normal parenchyma. Laparoscopic partial adrenalectomy is feasible and effective for the treatment of benign tumors. Although partial resections have clear-cut advantages over conventional adrenalectomy especially for bilateral tumors, it remains a difficult intervention.