Laparoscopic adrenalectomy in Qatar

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy was first performed in 1992 and most reports of large series are from tertiary centers in the west. This series reports experience with the procedure in the Arabian Gulf and compares the different technical steps of the procedure and outcomes in Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. The medical records were reviewed of eleven patients, six women and five men aged 35 to 70 years, who had laparoscopic adrenalectomy between August 1997 and December 1998. Five patients were operated on the left side and six on the right. In one patient with a large pheochromocytoma the procedure could not be completed and in another patient a hysterectomy was performed at the same time. Apart from these last two patients, the mean operative time was 165 minutes (80-275 minutes) and the average length of stay in hospital was six days (3-9 days). One patient required a blood transfusion and two complications were recorded; a patient with atelectasis and another with a hematoma followed by a pancreatic pseudocyst that was managed by CT guided drainage. We conclude that laparoscopic adrenalectomy is a safe procedure in the hands of surgeons who have had prior experience with advanced laparoscopic techniques. The lateral decubitis transperitoneal approach is an excellent approach to both the right and left adrenal glands.