Comparison of laparoscopic and open surgical techniques in adrenal masses in terms of outcome

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the results of conventional and laparoscopic adrenalectomy in adrenal mass cases operated on during a 9-year period. Materials and Methods: A total of 81 patients who underwent adrenalectomy were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups as; Group 1 conventional surgery and Group 2 - laparoscopic surgery. Two groups were compared retrospectively on characteristics such as; age, sex, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists' score (ASA), mass localization, mass size and hormonal activity of the mass, duration of operation, amount of bleeding in operation, duration of hospitalization, duration until food intake, perioperative mortality, early complications and readmission to hospital within 90 days. Results: There were 22 patients in Group 1 and 59 patients in Group 2. No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of age, sex, BMI, ASA score, tumor localization, indications for operation, postoperative complication, perioperative mortality and re-admittance within 90 days. The hormonal activity of the mass was higher and the mass was smaller in size in Group 2. The duration of operation (min), the amount of bleeding in the operation (ml), the duration until oral intake (days) and the length of hospital stay (days) were found to be statistically significantly higher in Group 1. Conclusion: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy should be the preferred surgical method because of its short duration of operation, low blood loss, early onset of oral food intake and shorter hospital stay, as well as its safety.