Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of laparoendoscopic single-site adrenalectomy (LESS-A) and conventional laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) as a systematic review and meta-analysis of current evidence.
Methods: We conducted a thorough search for comparative studies that compared LESS-A and conventional LA in the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library. Studies were reviewed independently and rated by Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. The operative time, estimated blood loss in operation, the time to resume oral intake after surgery, postoperative hospital stay, and the visual analog pain scale (VAPS) score were included for analysis to compare the efficacy, while the complications together with the analgesia use were included for analysis to compare the safety.
Results: Nine studies with 171 LESS-A cases and 272 conventional LA cases were identified. Although operative time was longer in LESS-A (mean difference [MD] 15.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 11.18 to 19.74), estimated blood loss (MD 4.72, 95% CI 12.08 to 21.52) and the time to resume oral intake (MD -0.04, 95% CI -0.19 to 0.11) were similar; LESS-A presented a shorter postoperative stay in hospital (MD -0.60, 95% CI -0.86 to -0.35) and lower VAPS score (MD -1.21, 95% CI -1.44 to -0.97). Besides, the risk of minor postoperative complications (risk ratio [RR] 1.74, 95% CI 0.78 to 3.87) was similar. The postoperative analgesia demand in total (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.81) together with the analgesia usage lasting more than 24 hours after surgery (RR 0.35, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.58) were associated with lower risk in LESS-A, however.
Conclusions: Based on current evidence, the operative time seems to be longer in LESS-A; however, operative blood loss and complications are similar. In addition, LESS-A presents a shorter hospital stay after surgery and more acceptable perception of pain than conventional LA.