Clinical study of robotic management of complex pheochromocytoma / 中华内分泌外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To report our technique and outcomes of robotic management of complex pheochromocytoma.Methods:Twelve patients with complex pheochromocytoma underwent robot-assisted surgery from May. 2016 to Sep. 2018. Four patients were male and eight patients were female. The mean patient age was 44 (range, 21-66) years. There were seven right adrenal tumors, two left adrenal tumors and three bilateral tumors. The mean tumor size was 7.8 (range, 2.5-16.0) cm. All surgeries were performed by transperitoneal approach. Three patients underwent synchronous surgery for bilateral pheochromocytoma.Results:All procedures were performed successfully without conversion to open surgery. The mean operative time was 108 (range, 50-195) min and mean blood loss was 105 (range, 20-400) ml. The average postoperative indwelling time of drainage tube was four (range, 3-5) days. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 8.5 (range, 5-23) days. Histopathologic examination of specimen revealed pheochromocytoma arising from adrenal gland. There were no recurrences or metastatic events during the follow-up of 5 to 35 months.Conclusion:Robotic assisted surgery is safe and effective for management of complex pheochromocytoma and provides significant advantages with regard to less blood loss and shorter postoperative hospital stay.