Robotic Adrenalectomy: An Initial Experience in a Turkish Regional Hospital

Comparison of robotic and laparoscopic lateral transperitoneal adrenalectomies

Purpose

This study aimed to compare the intraoperative and postoperative outcomes between robotic and laparoscopic transperitoneal adrenalectomies.

Methods

In this retrospective study, 93 patients underwent adrenalectomy using 2 surgical modalities: 45 patients underwent adrenalectomy using the da Vinci Xi system (robotic group), and 48 patients using laparoscopic devices (laparoscopic group). We compared the operation time, intraoperative bleeding, and hospital stay according to the surgical modality and tumor characteristics.

Results

There were no significant differences in the operative time (P = 0.827), hospital stay (P = 0.177), and intraoperative bleeding (P = 0.174) between the groups. However, the robotic group showed a lower coefficient of variation in total operative time than that of the laparoscopic group (100.6 ± 23.3 minutes vs. 101.9±32.7 minutes, 0.230 vs. 0.321). When divided into 2 subgroups based on the tumor size (<3 cm and ≥3 cm), the robotic group with a tumor sized >3 cm had a shorter operative time than that of the laparoscopic group (P = 0.032). The robotic group also had fewer cases of intraoperative bleeding (P = 0.034).

Conclusions

Compared to the laparoscopic transperitoneal adrenalectomy, the robotic one achieved a lower deviation in total operative time and showed less bleeding and a shorter operative time, especially for tumors sized >3 cm.

Comparative Analysis of Laparoscopic and Robotic Transperitoneal Adrenalectomy Performed at a Single Institution

Background and Objectives: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) is the standard surgical approach for adrenalectomy. At present, robotic adrenalectomy (RA) has been introduced at various hospitals. This study evaluated our initial experience with robotic adrenalectomy compared with conventional laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Materials and Methods: From October 2018 to March 2022, 56 adrenalectomies were performed by a single endocrine surgeon. Thirty-two patients underwent LA (LA group), and twenty-four patients underwent RA (RA group). Results: Patients in the RA group were significantly younger than those in the LA group (48.6 ± 9.7 years vs. 55.1 ± 11.4 years, p = 0.013). The RA group had a shorter operation time than the LA group (76.1 ± 28.2 min vs. 118.0 ± 54.3 min, p < 0.001). The length of hospital stay and postoperative pain level between the two groups were similar. There were no complications in the RA group. There was no significant difference in the pathologic diagnosis between the two groups. The cost of surgery was significantly higher in the RA group than in the LA group (5288.5 US dollars vs. 441.5 ± 136.8 US dollars, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In our initial experience, RA showed a shorter operation time than LA and no complications. RA could be a viable alternative surgical option for adrenalectomy, notwithstanding its higher cost.

Construction and validation of a prognostic model for predicting overall survival of primary adrenal malignant tumor patients: A population-based study with 1,080 patients

Objective

Primary adrenal malignant tumor is rare. The factors affecting the prognosis remain poorly defined. This study targeted to construct and corroborate a model for predicting the overall survival of adrenal malignant tumor patients.

Methods

We investigated the SEER database for patients with primary adrenal malignant tumor. 1,080 patients were divided into a construction cohort (n = 756) and a validation cohort (n = 324), randomly. The prognostic factors for overall survival were evaluated using univariate and multivariate Cox analyses. The nomogram was constructed and then validated with C-index, calibration curve, time-dependent ROC curve, and decision curve analysis in both cohorts. Then we divided the patients into 3 different risk groups according to the total points of the nomogram and analyzed their survival status by Kaplan-Meier curve with log-rank test.

Results

The baseline characteristics of these two cohorts were not statistically different (P > 0.05). Using univariate and multivariate Cox analyses, 5 variables, including age, tumor size, histological type, tumor stage, and surgery of primary site, were distinguished as prognostic factors (P < 0.05). Based on these variables, we constructed a nomogram to predict the 3- year, 5- year, and 10-year overall survival. The C-indexes were 0.780 (0.760–0.800) in the construction cohort and 0.780 (0.751–0.809) in the validation cohort. In both cohorts, the AUC reached a fairly high level at all time points. The internal and external calibration curves and ROC analysis showed outstanding accuracy and discrimination. The decision curves indicated excellent clinical usefulness. The best cut-off values for the total points of the nomogram were 165.4 and 243.1, and the prognosis was significantly different for the three different risk groups (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

We successfully constructed a model to predict the overall survival of primary adrenal malignant tumor patients. This model was validated to perform brilliantly internally and externally, which can assist us in individualized clinical management.