Laparoscopic vs. open adrenalectomy: Experience at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh

We describe our experiences of adrenalectomy and compare the results of open and laparoscopic approach. From March 1999 to March 2002 we performed 23 adrenalectomies. An anterior transabdominal approach was used for the open procedure (OP), and a lateral transperitoneal approach for the laparoscopic procedure (LP). There was no difference in tumor size or pathology between the two groups. The tumor size was smaller, operative time was longer and blood loss was was less in (LP). Mean length of hospital stay was shorter, mean time of resumption of oral intake was faster in the LP group. It was concluded that laparoscopic adrenalectomy is a safe procedure that can be performed for most adrenal pathology. It is associated with faster recovery, less postoperative pain, and shorter hospital stay. (author)