Our Experience in Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy and Literature Review

Objective: To present our experience in laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Material and Methods: We have reviewed the records of our 64 adrenalectomy cases between  August 2007 and October 2014 retrospectively. Of these cases, 63 had unilateral masses (25 right-sided, 38 left-sided) while only one patient had bilateral masses. The mean age of the patients was 46.72 years (26-81) and 44 (68.75%) patients were women and 20 (31.25%) were men. The average mass size was calculated as 35x29 mm and 48x34 mm in functional and non-functional adenomas, respectively. Results: Of the 64 patients, 48 were referred by endocrinology clinics while 16 patients were diagnosed incidentally. Fourteen patients had history of previous intra-abdominal surgery and five of them were continued as open surgery due to intraperitoneal adhesions. Mean duration of operation was 94±42 minutes and mean hospitalization time was 3.1±1,6 days. We did not encounter any major complications and recurrent or residual masses. Conclusion: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is a safe method that can provide comfort to patients and surgeons in appropriate cases.