Minimally invasive techniques in adrenal gland surgery

Today, adrenalectomy can be performed by a variety of laparoscopic and retroperitoneoscopic approaches. Of particular importance are the lateral transperitoneal and the posterior retroperitoneoscopic access routes. Comparative studies of transperitoneal and retroperitoneal procedures still demonstrate heterogeneous results. Nevertheless, retroperitoneal access techniques seem to enable less postoperative pain and a faster recovery. Robotic procedures are gaining in popularity but the final importance cannot yet be determined. All minimally invasive techniques are considered to be so safe and reliable that open approaches are only justified in exceptional cases.