Laparoscopic versus robotic lateral transabdominal adrenalectomy

Background and Objectives: Despite an increased adaptation of robotic adrenalectomy, its advantages over laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) have not been defined. The aim of the study was to compare perioperative outcomes of robotic versus laparoscopic lateral transabdominal adrenalectomy using a large single-center experience.Methods: This was a retrospective single center study. Within 22 years, patients who underwent laparoscopic and robotic transabdominal lateral adrenalectomy were identified from a prospective institutional review board-approved database. Clinical and perioperative outcomes were compared using Mann-Whitney U and chi(2) tests.Results: There were 190 patients who underwent laparoscopic and 281 patients who underwent robotic transabdominal lateral adrenalectomy. The groups were comparable except for a higher percentage of female patients in the robotic group. For robotic versus LA, operative time and hospital stay were shorter, in addition to less blood loss, conversion to open and margin positivity, for pheochromocytoma and malignant tumors. Morbidity rates were similar between the two groups.Conclusions: Despite the limitations of a retrospective design, this large study demonstrates significant advantages of robotic versus laparoscopic transabdominal lateral adrenalectomy in terms of perioperative outcomes and margin clearance.