Background: Posterior retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy comprises an alternative option in minimally invasive adrenal surgery. Since the main contraindication to the retroperitoneal access seems to be the presence of a large tumor mass, we prospectively compared the posterior endoscopic technique to the laparoscopic in a case-controlled setting.
Patients: From May 2008 to September 2008 eleven patients with large adrenal tumors (mean size: 5.5 cm, range 4.0-7.0) underwent posterior retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy by the same group of surgeons. Operative time, intraoperative blood loss, complications, hospital stay, time to oral intake, postoperative pain and cost were compared to eleven laparoscopic patient controls with similar demographic and histopathological characteristics. Statistical analysis was based on [chi] 2 test and Wilcoxon rank sum test.
Results: Mean ± SD operative time was reduced in the retroperitoneoscopic compared to the laparoscopic group (128.1±37.5min vs 145.6±47.5min, P> 0.05) but not in a statistically significant manner. The mean intraoperative blood loss was less for the retroperitoneoscopic group (30 ± 4,9ml vs 120 ± 7.7 ml, P
Session: Podium Presentation
Program Number: S086