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Glossary

Members of
SAGES

The Society
of American
Gastrointestinal
Endoscopic
Surgeons

Laparoscopic Surgery on the Adrenal Gland

If one adrenal gland is malfunctioning, and the other works properly, it is possible to remove the malfunctioning organ without impairing the body’s overall ability to produce hormones used to help regulate blood pressure, sugar level and salt production.

Laparoscopic surgery is performed on tumors that are less than 10 cm in diameter (four inches or less). Through a half-inch incision in the abdomen, Dr. Tarnoff or Dr. Shikora inserts a very small diameter miniature video telescope called a laparoscope through one of the three to five half-inch incisions. The abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide to allow your surgeon a better view of the operative area and to give enough room to manipulate the instruments used in the procedure. Additional surgical are inserted into the abdominal area through other small incisions. Dr. Tarnoff or Dr. Shikora can view the operating area on a high-resolution flatscreen monitor and these specialized instruments to detach and remove the adrenal gland.

Larger tumors may be malignant, and such tumors are best addressed through open surgery.

Laparoscopic dissection of the right adrenal

Hospitalization lasts one or two days, as compared to up to seven days for an open procedure. After laparoscopic adrenalectomy, patients can expect total recovery time to be half as long as that associated with open surgery.

Adrenal gland problems that can be addressed with laparoscopic surgery

The adrenal gland is found atop each kidney. The larger outer part, the adrenal cortex, secretes hormones like cortisol and aldosterone that control the metabolic process. The smaller inner part, the medulla, produces two adrenaline stimulants, epinephrine and norepinephrine. Tumors on the adrenal gland can cause the gland to secrete an excess amount of any one of the hormones, and illness can result.

For instance, pheochromocytomas are tumors that grow and secrete adrenaline in the medulla. They can create hypertension. These tumors are usually small and benign, and laparoscopic techniques provide an ideal way to remove them if a doctor decides that it is necessary in order to control the amount of adrenaline secreted.

While in some cases medicinal treatment can manage the effects of excess hormonal production, in many instances a doctor will determine that it is better to treat the problem by simply removing its cause. In that case, surgery will be recommended.