Outcomes and patient tolerability of radical inguinal orchiectomy under deep intravenous sedation

Radical inguinal orchiectomy (RO ) is indicated for the management of testicular tumors and is universally performed under general anesthetic in the hospital. The need to perform radical orchiectomy in an expeditated fashion can result in logistical difficulties, often necessitating this procedure to happen after-hours on a semi-emergent basis. These logistical difficulties have been exacerbated by the backlog of cases from the COVID-19 pandemic. A similar procedure - inguinal hernia repair - is regularly performed under local anesthesia with minimal complications. Thus, we sought to evaluate the feasibility of performing radical orchiectomy under deep intravenous sedation in an ambulatory surgery center.

We evaluated our single-surgeon (PP), prospective database of patients who underwent RO between September 2022 and February 2023 at the Men's Health Clinic Manitoba. Patients were given a combination of deep sedation, ilioinguinal nerve block, and local anesthetic. Tolerability was assessed both perioperatively and at 4-6 weeks' followup. We reviewed the medical records for any postoperative complications.

Eight patients underwent RO under deep sedation during the study period. All patients tolerated the surgery well and were discharged shortly after surgery. Average operative time was 40 minutes and length of stay was 46 minutes. There were no perioperative complications.

Our pilot study demonstrates that RO can be safely and effectively performed under deep sedation. This anesthetic combination can be used both in-hospital and out-of-hospital settings, thereby resulting in faster recovery, shorter length of stay, and favorable patient and provider satisfaction.