Thoracoscopic Transdiaphragmatic Approach for Isolated Adrenal Gland Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma

Since its first description, laparoscopic adrenalectomy has become the gold standard for the surgical treatment of adrenal tumors. In patients who have previously undergone major transperitoneal or retroperitoneal surgeries, a retroperitoneal access through a virgin thoracic cavity might be the only alternative for a minimally invasive approach. We report a case of a 61-year-old man with a history of retroperitoneal nephrectomy caused by renal cell carcinoma. He then developed a cancer recurrence in the left renal fossa, which was rescued with a transperitoneal laparotomy. During surveillance, a CT scan revealed two lung nodules and an adrenal tumor, a biopsy of which confirmed as relapsed kidney cancer. The patient had a good performance status so pazopanib (800 mg/day) was initiated, with a partial response in the adrenal tumor. Considering the patient's background, he was regarded as an appropriate candidate for a thoracoscopic transdiaphragmatic adrenalectomy. The patient was operated under general anesthesia, with selected double-lumen endotracheal intubation in lateral decubitus position. Once transthoracic ports were placed, the diaphragm was incised, exposing the retroperitoneal space. At this stage, the adrenal mass was identifiable and dissected free from surrounding structures. There were no intraoperative and postoperative complications. The patient was discharged after surgery without opioid requirement. The pathology report confirmed the relapsed renal cancer with negative surgical margins. The patient was alive and without a kidney cancer relapse at his last follow-up visit. As we described in our case, thoracoscopic transdiaphragmatic adrenalectomy might be taken into consideration in patients with a history of previous major transabdominal or retroperitoneal surgeries. In addition, the lateral decubitus position might be advantageous for anesthetists unfamiliar with the prone position.