Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2009) 20 P33

1Department of Endocrine Surgery, 1st Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, Athens Medical School, Hippokrateion Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; 2Department of Endocrine Surgery, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK; 3Department of Upper Gastrointestinal and Laparoscopic Surgery, Ealing Hospital, Ealing Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK.


Objective: To evaluate the results of laparoscopic adrenalectomy in our institutions.

Methods: Prospectively collected data from 2000 to 2007.

Results: During the 8-year study period, 160 laparoscopic adrenalectomies were performed in 150 patients. Mean age was 49.8 years (female: 60.7%). Twenty-seven patients (18%) had previous open abdominal operations. There were 10 bilateral (6.6%) for Cushing’s disease, 64 right (42.7%) and 76 left (50.7%) adrenalectomies. Diagnosis in unilateral cases was Conn’s syndrome in 43 patients (30.7%), non-functioning adenoma in 35 (25%), phaeochromocytoma in 26 (18.6%), Cushing’s syndrome in 20 (14.3%), metastasis in 8 (5.7%) and other in 8 (5.7%). Median tumour diameter was 4.0 cm, with 48 (30%) tumours >5.0 cm. In particular, 37 (23.1%) tumours were <3.0 cm, 75 (46.9%) were 3.0–5.0 cm, 9 (5.6%) 5.1–6.0 cm, 18 (11.2%) 6.1–7.0 cm, 14 (8.8%) 7.1–8.0 cm and 7 (4.4%) tumours were >8.0 cm. Median operative time was 130 min for bilateral and 55 min for unilateral procedures. Eleven cases (7.3%) underwent concurrent laparoscopic surgical procedures. Three adrenalectomies (1.8%) required conversion: a 10 cm phaeochromocytoma, a 4.5 cm phaeochromocytoma involving the renal artery and a 6.2 cm metastatic tumour extending to extra-adrenal tissues. Morbidity was 2.6% (n=4) and no mortality occurred. Median hospital stay was 48 h; five patients were discharged 5–8 h after the procedure.

Conclusions: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy, even for large tumours, is safe and effective when performed by surgeons highly experienced in laparoscopic endocrine surgery.

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