Evolution of surgical management for phaeochromocytoma over a 17-year period: an Australian perspective

Minimally invasive adrenalectomy and advances in anaesthetic techniques have transformed surgery for phaeochromocytoma. This 17-year review describes the evolution of phaeochromocytoma care in our unit.

We performed a retrospective cohort review of all patients who underwent adrenalectomy for phaeochromocytoma from 2000 to 2016. Patients were divided into three time periods, early: 2000-2005 (n = 17), middle: 2006-2010 (n = 15) and late: 2011-2016 (n = 24). The posterior retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy was introduced in 2011. Demographics and clinicopathological details were extracted. Median values for nominal data were compared using Mann-Whitney U-test. A chi-squared test was used to compare categorical data.

Sixty-one adrenalectomies were performed on 56 patients: 19 open, 17 laparoscopic and 20 posterior retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomies. The median length of operation decreased from 135 to 90 min from the early to the late time period (P > 0.05). Length of stay decreased from a median of 5 days in the early group to 1 day in the late group (P = 0.01). A total of 94.1% of the early period patients were admitted to the intensive care unit compared to 30.4% of the late group (P = <0.01). Need for post-operative vasopressors and blood transfusions was significantly reduced.

Over the 17-year period, the choice of operative technique has transitioned towards posterior retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy. Operative time, rate of intensive care unit admission, and admission length have all decreased without any increase in rates of complications.