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One Hundred Laparoscopic Adrenalectomies: A Single Surgeon’s Experience

From the University of Pittsburgh (HJZ), Kaufmann Medical Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Department of Surgery (RU), Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

Correspondence: Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Robert Udelsman, MD, Yale University School of Medicine, 330 Cedar St., FMB 102, New Haven, CT 06520; Fax: 203-737-2116; E-mail: robert.udelsman{at}yale.edu

Background: Since the first laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed in 1992, it has quickly gained acceptance as the standard of care for the treatment of benign adrenal neoplasms. We report a single surgeon’s experience with 100 consecutive laparoscopic adrenalectomies.

Methods: The records of all patients having adrenalectomy at the Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1993 until 2000 were reviewed. We examined the length of stay, time to diet resumption, perioperative morbidity, operative cost, and total cost of 100 consecutive laparoscopic adrenalectomies. These data are compared with those of 20 patients within our institution having open adrenalectomy and with 428 patients statewide having all forms of adrenalectomy during the same time period.

Results: A total of 93 patients had unilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy and 7 had bilateral procedures. The mean age was 49 years (11 to 70). Indications were aldosteronoma (n = 40), pheochromocytoma (n = 22), glucocorticoid-producing adenoma (n = 14), nonfunctioning adenoma (n = 12) Cushing’s disease (n = 5), and others (n = 7). The median length of stay for this series was 1.0 day. Average length of stay and time to resumption of diet were 1.8 and 1.0 days, respectively. Patients having open procedures during this same time period had an average length of stay of 6.5 days.

Conclusions: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy provides clear advantages over open adrenalectomy. Patients having laparoscopic adrenalectomy have decreased length of stay, shorter time to resumption of diet, and lower total hospital charges when compared with those having open adrenalectomy.

Key Words: Adrenalectomy • Laparoscopic • Aldosteronoma • Outcomes

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