Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy: Preventive Principles in Intra- and Postoperative Complications

Background. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the current surgery of choice in most adrenal tumours, with a nearly 11 % complication rate and below 1 % mortality. Laparoscopy combines the advantages of minimally invasive surgery with well-known long-term prognosis of a traditional open surgery, at the same time requiring the surgeon’s skill of knowing the technique and avoiding complication.Aim. Concept definition of safe laparoscopic adrenalectomy.Materials and methods. A total of 28 patients with adrenal neoplasms were rendered laparoscopic adrenalectomy by same surgical team under benchmark recommendations during 2016–2019.Results. All patients have been discharged in satisfactory condition, with no intra-, postoperative complications or lethal outcomes.Discussion. Th e evidence presented displays feasibility of using the benchmark principles in laparoscopic adrenalectomy surgery. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is superior in reducing the recovery time, surgical trauma, complication incidence, length of hospital stay, treatment cost, the improvement of overall wellbeing post-surgery and patients’ quality of life. Th ese principles proved effective to avoid intra- and postoperative complications of laparoscopic adrenalectomy and facilitated revamping of the operation technique in left -sided adrenalectomy.Conclusion. Th e benchmark principles of laparoscopic adrenalectomy enable the procedure higher efficacy and safety and require further implementation and long-term assessment of the outcome.

Laparoscopic-Guided Ropivacaine Trocar-Site Infiltration Can Improve Post-Operative Pain Control after Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy

Background There is no consensus on pain control in patients undergoing laparoscopy; nowadays, conventional therapy may be improved by transversus abdominis plane block. The aim of this evaluation is to investigate the role of laparoscopic-assisted trocar-site ropivacaine infiltration during adrenalectomy in pain control Methods This is a retrospective evaluation of a prospectively maintained database including patients undergoing adrenalectomy. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Group A patients received laparoscopic-assisted trocar-site infiltration of 7.5 mg/mL ropivacaine and Group B patients did not receive any infiltration. All patients received a 24-hour infusion of 20 mg morphine; pain was checked at 6, 24, and 48 hours after surgery by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score. A rescue analgesia by was given if VAS score was > 4 or on patient request. Results No differences in operative time, complications, and post-operative stay and no complications related to trocar-site infiltration were found. 6-hour and 48-hour VAS scores were not found to be significantly different between groups, even if a slight decrease in VAS score in Group A was reported. Group A showed significant reduction in VAS score at 24 hours (2.44 +/− .41 vs 3.01 +/− .78, P < .005) and in the number of patients requiring further analgesic drugs administration (40.6% vs 57.8%, P < .005) Conclusions Laparoscopic-guided trocar-site ropivacaine infiltration can be considered safe and effective in the management of post-operative pain and in the reduction of analgesic need in patients undergoing laparoscopic adrenalectomy. The retrospective nature of the study and the lack of a consistent series of patients require further evaluations.

Comparison of lateral transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approaches for homolateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy

Background There is a lack of data regarding the appropriateness of transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approaches for homolateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy. The aim of this study is to compare lateral transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approach for left-sided and right-sided laparoscopic adrenalectomy respectively. Methods Between January 2014 and December 2019, 242 patients underwent left-sided and 252 patients underwent right-sided laparoscopic adrenalectomy. For left side, transperitoneal approach was used in 132 (103 with tumors < 5 cm and 29 with tumors ≥ 5 cm) and retroperitoneal approach in 110 (102 with tumors < 5 cm and 8 with tumors ≥ 5 cm). For right side, transperitoneal approach was used in 139 (121 with tumors < 5 cm and 18 with tumors ≥ 5 cm) and retroperitoneal approach in 113 (102 with tumors < 5 cm and 11 with tumors ≥ 5 cm). Patient characteristics and perioperative outcomes were recorded. For each side, both approaches were compared for tumors < 5 cm and ≥ 5 cm respectively. Results For left-sided tumors < 5 cm, transperitoneal approach demonstrated shorter operative time, less blood loss and longer time to oral intake. For left-sided tumors ≥ 5 cm, the peri-operative data of both approaches was comparable. For right-sided tumors < 5 cm, transperitoneal approach demonstrated shorter operative time and less blood loss. For right-sided tumors ≥ 5 cm, the peri-operative data was comparable. Conclusions Lateral transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approach are both effective for laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Lateral transperitoneal approach is faster with less blood loss for tumors < 5 cm.