Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy
What is a Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy?
An adrenalectomy is the surgical removal of one or both adrenal glands. This can be done via laparoscopic technique or with a traditional open incision.
What purpose do the adrenal glands serve?
Adrenal glands produce hormones that help regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress and other essential functions.
Adrenal glands are composed of two parts — the cortex and the medulla — which are each responsible for producing different hormones.
When adrenal glands don’t produce enough hormones, this can lead to adrenal insufficiency (Addison’s disease).
Adrenal glands may develop nodules that can be benign or malignant, which can potentially produce excessive amounts of certain hormones leading to various health issues.
Each gland weighs approximately 4 grams and is 3x5x1 cm in size.
Who will need the surgery?
Surgery may be recommended in situations of hormone over-production or for tumours (an abnormal growth of tissue). Adrenal tumours may be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Some adrenal tumours can excrete excessive amounts of one of more hormones.
What happens during the operation?
You will be having a general anaesthetic for your operation, which means you will be asleep and not aware of what is happening around you.
The benefit of a laparoscopic procedure is that smaller incisions can be made rather than one large incision resulting in less pain and decreased hospital stay. The surgeon will use small telescopic cameras and long instruments to dissect and remove the adrenal gland through one of the small incision sites.
For a variety of reasons the surgeon may need to convert the procedure to an open adrenalectomy in which a larger incision/cut on the abdomen is needed to remove the adrenal gland.
In some cases the surgeon will insert a drain tube (thin plastic tube) into the abdominal cavity. This is to drain fluid from the surgery site and will be connected to a small drainage bag.
What to expect after your operation
You will remain in hospital for several days for monitoring and analgesia. The average length of stay for a laparoscopic adrenalectomy is approximately 2 days and the average length of stay for an open adrenalectomy is approximately 5-7 days.
It is expected that you will experience some discomfort after your operation. Your nurse will assess your pain and provide the appropriate pain medication to keep you comfortable.
It is important that you have enough pain relief so that you can walk and move around and take deep breaths with minimal discomfort after your operation.
Gentle walking and deep breathing exercises are important after an operation and reduce your risk of getting blood clots, to oxygenate the body and to reduce your risk of getting a chest infection.
The doctor will usually prescribe daily or twice daily injections which slightly thin the blood to reduce the risk of blood clots forming in the body.
The nurse will fit you with some white compression stockings called TEDS, these stockings help to reduce the risk of blood clots in the legs by increasing the blood flow through the legs.
It is recommended that you do no heavy lifting for approximately 4-6 weeks after laparoscopic surgery and approximately 8-12 weeks after open abdominal surgery.
Your doctor will let you know when you can return to your work or normal activities.
Please let your doctor know if you require a medical certificate
This information is intended as a guideline only. If you have any further questions or concerns, please ask your doctor.