Adrenal Cancer

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The Operation

This procedure has been performed on many patients over the last several years. Typically, the length of the operation is 2-3 hours. The surgery is performed through making three to six small ¼ inch incisions in the abdomen. One of the incision sites may need to be slightly enlarged to remove the gland.

Potential Risks and Complications

Although this procedure has proven to be very safe, as in any surgical procedure there are risks and potential complications. The safety and complication rates are similar when compared to the open surgery. Potential risks include:

  • Bleeding: Blood loss during this procedure is possible and a transfusion is needed in <5% of patients. On rare occasion bleeding may occur after surgery requiring exploration. If you are interested in autologous blood transfusion (donating your own blood) you must make your surgeon aware.
  • Infection: All patients are treated with intravenous antibiotics, prior to starting surgery to decrease the chance of infection from occurring after surgery. If you develop any signs or symptoms of infection after the surgery (fever >101, drainage from the incision, urinary frequency/discomfort, pain or anything else that may concern you) please contact us at once.
  • Tissue / Organ Injury: Although uncommon, possible injury to surrounding tissue and organs including bowel, vascular structures, spleen, liver, pancreas, lung, diaphragm and gallbladder could require further surgery. Injury could occur to nerves or muscles related to positioning. Hernia at an incision site is a possibility. Some of these injuries may not be recognized immediately during surgery and additional surgery may be needed.
  • Conversion to Open Surgery: The surgical procedure may require conversion to the standard open operation if difficulty is encountered during the laparoscopic procedure. This occurs <1% in our laparoscopic procedures. This could result in a larger standard open incision and possibly a longer recuperation period.
  • Fluctuations in Blood pressure: The adrenal gland makes hormones that regulate blood pressure. Surgery on the gland may cause a surge in blood pressure that can cause complications such as stroke or heart attack. With careful anesthetic monitoring these complications are very rare.