Background: In patients with primary hyperaldosteronism, solitary adrenal adenomas are an indication for surgical intervention. In contrast, adrenal hyperplasia is almost exclusively treated by drugs.
Patients and methods: In a prospective clinical study 183 patients (81 men, 102 women; age 49.6+/-12.8 years) with Conn's syndrome were operated on using the posterior retroperitoneoscopic approach. Tumor size ranged from 0.2 to 5.0 cm (mean 1.5+/-0.8 cm). Final histology described a solitary adenoma in 127 patients and adrenal hyperplasia in 56 patients. Partial adrenalectomies were performed in 47 operations.
Results: The perioperative complication rate was 4%, mortality zero. In none of the cases was conversion to open surgery necessary. The mean operating time was 58+/-32 minutes (range 20-230 minutes) and was associated with sex (p<0.001) but not with the extent of resection (partial vs. total, p=0.51) or with tumor size (<or=1.5 vs. >1.5 cm; p=0.43) or tumor site (p=0.77). Median blood loss was 15 ml. Median duration of postoperative hospitalization was 4 days. After a mean follow-up of nearly 5 years, 96% of patients are normokalemic, 30% of patients are cured (normotensive without medication), and 87% showed an improvement of hypertension (normotensive without or with reduced medication). Cure of hypertension depended on the patient's age (p<0.001) and sex (p<0.001), duration of hypertension (p<0.05), and histomorphology (p<0.001). Improvement of hypertension was not associated with any of these factors.
Conclusions: Retroperitoneoscopic removal of adrenal glands in patients with Conn's syndrome is a safe, rapidly performed surgical procedure and can thus be considered as first choice option for treatment of both solitary adrenal adenomas and hyperplasia presenting with a clinically predominating nodule.