If surgery is a treatment option for your adrenal tumor, we will work with you to determine which type of adrenal surgery is right for you, based your specific needs.
An adrenalectomy is a surgical procedure that removes one or both of your adrenal glands. If one of your adrenal glands is removed, it is called a unilateral adrenalectomy, and if both are removed, it's a bilateral adrenalectomy.
The different types of adrenalectomies include:
- Laparoscopic adrenalectomy
- Retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy
- Open adrenalectomy
What to Expect During a Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy
Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that involves removal of the adrenal gland through a small incision in your abdomen.
During the procedure, we will insert a small camera through a small incision in your abdominal wall to guide our movements throughout the surgery. From there, we'll make further incisions so our instruments can reach the site of your tumor and hold tissues in place during the surgery.
With a laparoscopic adrenalectomy, you'll have a shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery than you would with open surgery.
What to Expect During a Retroperitoneoscopic Adrenalectomy
Penn Medicine surgeons are the first in the region to perform retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomies, which are cutting-edge, minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures used selectively to treat eligible patients.
The procedure, during which adrenal tumors are removed through small incisions in your back, is not appropriate for everyone. However, if we believe you are a candidate for retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy, you may benefit from the following:
- A potentially shorter hospital stay
- Less postoperative pain
- Less scarring
- Lower risk of hernias
- Faster recovery
A retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy is especially beneficial to patients with tumors in both of their adrenal glands, as well as those who have had previous abdominal surgeries.
What to Expect During a Open Adrenalectomy
If you aren't a candidate for either a laparoscopic or a retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy, we will perform an open adrenalectomy, which has been used to successfully treat adrenal conditions for decades.
Open adrenalectomies include a large abdominal incision through your abdominal wall. The cut is made either under one side of your ribcage or down the center of your abdomen, depending upon which of your adrenals requires surgery.
Open adrenalectomies are most often used to remove very large adrenal tumors that cannot be accessed and removed laparoscopically, some cancerous tumors and tumors that are connected to other organs.