Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for primary aldosteronism: a new operative method

From January 17, 1992 to January 16, 1993, laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed in 7 patients (3 men, 4 women) with primary aldosteronism ranging in age from 35 to 65 years (mean 48.7 years). Five of the adrenal lesions were on the left side and two were on the right. Five to six trocar-sheath units were used, and adrenal tumors were successfully removed with adjacent normal adrenal glands in all patients. The operative time ranged from 165 to 572 min (mean 302 min), operative blood loss was between 50 and 450 ml (mean 217.2 ml), and there was no major complication. In conclusion, laparoscopic adrenalectomy is a safe alternative operative method for primary aldosteronism, although application of this technique to other types of adrenal lesions remains to be examined.