Traditional versus laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of pheochromocytoma: a preliminary study

Laparoscopic removal of adrenal masses has been successfully accomplished by many authors, but some doubts still remain about the surgical treatment of pheochromocytomas by the laparoscopic approach. The outcome of 6 patients who had laparoscopic removal of pheochromocytoma, 1 of which bilateral, was compared with that of 20 patients with pheochromocytoma who underwent open surgery. The following parameters were evaluated: frequency of hypertensive crises, time required for surgery, total volume of infused fluids, severity of postoperative pain, hospital stay, wound suppuration, or occurrence of incisional hernia, persistence or recurrence of hypertension. Laparoscopic patients had shorter hospitalizations, less postoperative fever, less fluid infusion, and absence of scar complications. There was no evident difference in the frequency of intraoperative hypertensive crises between patients who were treated by laparoscopic versus those treated by open procedure. The laparoscopic approach seems to be as safe as the open approach. However, it causes less postoperative distress, better cosmetic results, and permits a faster recovery.