Technical aspects of adrenalectomy via operative laparoscopy.

Adrenalectomy is usually performed through a transabdominal or a posterior approach. These approaches are associated with a painful syndrome postoperatively and long hospital stay. We report a series of five successful laparoscopic adrenalectomies, performed on: a 35-year-old male with a 5-cm right nonfunctioning tumor; a 32-year-old female with a 1.8-cm right aldosterone-producing adenoma; a 17-year-old female with a 4-cm right adrenocortical adenoma; and a 33-year-old female with bilateral 3.5-cm right and 4.5-cm left pheocromocytoma. Single right adrenalectomy lasted between 2 h and 2 h 30 min and bilateral adrenalectomy 5 h and 30 min. No transfusion was required. The hospital stay was between 3 and 4 days. This technique adequately removes adrenal tumors surgically and results in less postoperative pain and rapid recovery.