[Results of surgical treatment of adrenal gland tumors: own 15-year long experience]

Pol Merkur Lekarski. 1999 Jun;6(36):311-2.
[Article in Polish]

Abstract

In the present communication we present the results of surgical treatment of tumours of the adrenal glands, basing on the material from our clinical department. During 1983-1997 at the Department of Clinical Urology Central Clinical Hospital of the Military University School of Medicine (CSK WAM) 27 patients (15 men, 12 women) with tumors of the adrenal glands were treated. Among the operated patients 3 were diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome, 3 with pheochromocytoma, 1 with Cohn's syndrome, while in the remaining 20 the tumours were hormonally inactive. Surgical treatment included 15 right, 10 left and 2 bilateral adrenalectomies. There was no intraoperational mortality. In all patients with hypersecretion, the symptoms disappeared after adrenalectomy. The size of tumours ranged 4-20 cm. In 3 patients there appeared a need for broadening of the size of surgical intervention--2 splenectomies and 2 nephrectomies and 1 resection of pancreatic tail--all due to regional infiltrations with tumorous tissues. During surgery there occurred 2 cases of iatrogenic pleuric injury. Postoperative complications included 1 case of pneumonia and 1 case of wound infection. In case of unilateral tumours of the adrenal glands the best method for surgery appears to be the lateral (lumbal) resection and in case of large tumours and/or bilateral tumours the most convenient appears to be the anterior (transperitoneal) resection. The most applicable method for diagnosis of tumours of the adrenal glands appears to be CT and NMR.

MeSH terms

  • Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Catchment Area, Health
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Poland
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Surgical Procedures, Operative / methods
  • Time Factors
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Treatment Outcome