#WCE2014 - Laparoscopic adrenalectomy: 15-years experiences of a single surgeon in Korea - Interview

TAIPEI, TAIWAN (UroToday.com) - Introduction and Objectives: Laparoscopic surgery to remove adrenal tumors is now considered as treatment of choice due to its less invasiveness and comparable outcomes. When compared to open adrenalectomy, laparoscopic approach can achieve superior surgical outcomes, including recovery to normal life and perioperative complications. Here, we provide 15-years experiences of laparoscopic adrenalectomy by a single surgeon in Korea.

wceMethods: We collected data from 89 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy by a single urologist at Seoul National University Hospital from September 1997 through December 2013. We evaluated various parameters, such as the clinical characteristics of patients and perioperative outcomes related to the surgery.

Results: Mean patients age was 48.39 years old and the proportion of male patients was about 45.0%. Mean body mass index was 24.18 (kg/m2). Left adrenal mass was detected in 49 cases (55.0%) and mean tumor size was 29 mm in a diameter. Preoperatively, incidentaloma was the most common lesion (38.2%) and aldosterone-producing tumor was the second most common tumor (30.3%). Mean operative time was about two hours (129.58 minutes) and estimated blood loss was less than 100 ml (86.63 ml). There were few intra- (2.2%) and post-operative complications (4.5%). Hospital stay was four days after surgery. In the pathologic findings, adrenal corticaladenoma was the most common mass (73.0%), whereas pheochromocytoma was only detected at 6.7%.

Conclusions: In summary, laparoscopic adrenalectomy is safe and feasible surgical approach to treat adrenal gland tumors regardless of tumor size and pathologic findings. This study can provide the valuable information for laparoscopic approach to treat adrenal tumors.

Source of Funding: None

 
Listen to an interview with Minyong Kang, one of the authors of this study.

 

Presented by Minyong Kang, Chang Wook Jeong,
 Ja Hyeon Ku, Cheol Kwak, and Hyeon Hoe Kim at the 32nd World Congress of Endourology & SWL - September 3 - 7, 2014 - Taipei, Taiwan

Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea