Laparoscopic adrenalectomy: clinical results in 25 patients

Adrenal tumors would be eminently suitable for laparoscopic surgery because of their size and location. We have performed 25 cases of laparoscopic adrenalectomy, and the purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical results. Since November 1992, 12 men and 13 women with a mean age of 47.3 (range 29-71) years underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Fifteen lesions were on the left side, and ten lesions were on the right side. The clinical diagnosis was primary aldosteronism in eight patients, Cushing's syndrome in seven, and a nonfunctioning adrenal tumor in ten. The mean operating time was 254 +/- 72 minutes (range 155-412 minutes), but the time on the last 10 cases was 216 +/- 40 minutes, which was equal to the mean operating time of the 15 open adrenalectomy cases (190 +/- 66 minutes). There was no difference in the operating time by clinical diagnosis. The time to first oral intake after the operation was shorter in the laparoscopic group, the need for analgesics was less, and the hospital stay and the time until return to preoperative activity were shorter than after open surgery. The laparoscopic cases had no significant complications, and every operation was performed completely. Although there was the learning curve for the performance of laparoscopic adrenalectomy, its operating time was equal to that of open surgery, and the postoperative recovery was significantly faster. Therefore, laparoscopic adrenalectomy would be useful compared with open surgery on the basis of invasiveness and cost.