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Background: Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for adrenal pathologies in children is still developing because of its low incidence in pediatric population and the discrepancy between the big volume of the masses and the reduced child's size especially in younger patients. In the literature, there are no guidelines about the use of laparoscopic andrenalectomy in children. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of MIS through a bicenter data analysis in order to propose a standardized protocol. Materials and Methods: Children who underwent minimally invasive adrenalectomy performed at two European Departments of Pediatric Surgery between 2000 and 2020 were included in this study. Data were collected and analyzed using X-square, Fisher tests, and multiple regression model. Results: Thirty-four patients (38 adrenal masses) were included. Mean age was 52 months (3-176). Median lesion diameter was 60 mm (40-125 mm). Histological examination revealed 24 neuroblastomas (NBs), 11 pheochromocytomas, 1 teratoma, 1 adrenal cyst, and 1 myelolipoma. Laterality was 52.6% left, 36.8% right, and 10.5% bilateral. Surgical access was transperitoneal in all patients. Mean operative time was 108 minutes for unilateral lesions and 270 minutes for bilateral ones. Mean hospital stay was 4.4 days. No major intraoperative complications were observed. 21.05% NBs were preemtively approached with a laparoscopic access and were converted to open surgery. Median follow-up was 88 months (24-264). Four patients affected by neuroblastoma reported metastatic dissemination and three died. Conclusions: Pediatric minimally invasive adrenalectomy is a safe and effective procedure, allowing surgeons to reduce the size of incision starting the dissection of the masses, and it has low rate of complication if we consider small masses. The only absolute contraindication is persistent image-defined risk factors for NBs. It should be considered as the first-line treatment for selected adrenal masses in centers with good experience in laparoscopy.

Background: Robotic-assisted surgery is gaining wider acceptance in most surgical specialties. However, in the United Kingdom, endocrine surgery has not fully adopted robotics. This paper aims to present the early experience and outcomes of patients who underwent robotic-assisted adrenalectomy at a tertiary referral endocrine surgery department. Outcomes were compared to national and international performance measures., Methods: Seventy-two elective robotic adrenalectomies were performed over a 24-month period. Data collected included patient demographics, co-morbidities, indication for surgery and tumour size. Outcomes assessed were console time, conversion rates, complications, length of stay and excision margin., Results: Seventy-two cases were included for analysis. Sixty-six percent (n = 48) of the patients were female with a median age of 60 years. Median BMI was 28. Functional tumours accounted for 76% (n = 55) of cases with the most common being phaeochromocytomas and cortisol producing adenomas. Median docking time was 5 min with a median intraoperative time on the console of 45.5 min. Tumour size ranged from 1 to 14 cm. Median length of stay postoperatively was 1 day. There was only one conversion to open procedure. Two patients reported post-op superficial surgical site infections and there were no mortalities., Conclusion: This case series demonstrates robotic-assisted adrenalectomies performed in a tertiary care centre were safe and feasible in a selected cohort of patients with functional and non-functional tumours. Large randomised controlled trials with long-term follow-up are required to establish the benefits of robotic adrenal surgery over conventional laparoscopic adrenalectomy., Competing Interests: Declarations. Disclosures: Sandeep Maharajh, Fouad Ashoush and Jason Ramsingh confirm that this paper has not received any funding or grants or any other support; there are no competing interests and they have no relevant financial interests to disclose. All authors certify that they have no affiliations or involvement in any organisation or entity with any financial or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

BACKGROUND Surgery involving the right retroperitoneum can result in lymphatic (chylous) leakage from the cisterna chyli located anterior to the L1 and L2 vertebra or from lymph node dissection. This report describes a 46-year-old woman with retroperitoneal lymphatic (chylous) leak following right adrenalectomy for a nonfunctional adrenal adenoma. CASE REPORT A 46-year-old woman presented with a medical history of hypertension. An adrenal tumor (3.2×2.0 cm) was identified by computed tomography (CT). She was admitted for right retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy. The drainage volume of the drainage tube increased on the second day after surgery. The fluid had a milky and turbid discharge. She was started on a high-protein fat-restricted diet. In addition, 3 mg somatostatin acetate was administered daily. The chylous discharge dramatically decreased. After confirming that there was no increase in discharge, the drainage tube was removed on the 11th postoperative day. There was no recurrence of chylous fluid in 5 months. CONCLUSIONS This report shows that lymphatic (chylous) leak can be a complication of retroperitoneal surgery. The most important factor is the prevention of chylous complications. Even if no lymphatic leakage is found, it is necessary for the laparoscopic surgeon to fully coagulate the lymphatic channels. In most cases, it can be managed with conservative treatment.

Background and Objectives : Retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy (RLA) is one of two laparoscopic procedures used to treat benign and malignant adrenal diseases. Obesity in patients undergoing minimally invasive adrenal surgery is a frequently discussed topic. Our meta-analysis aimed to provide updated evidence by comparing intraoperative and perioperative outcomes on non-obese (NOb) and obese (Ob) patients who underwent RLA due to benign or malignant disease. Materials and Methods : We performed a systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science (Science and Social Science Citation Index), and Cochrane Library (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)) databases were used to identify articles of interest. The meta-analysis was performed using RevMan [Computer program] Version 5.4. Results : The four included comparative studies (809 patients: 552 NOb versus 257 Ob) covered an approximately 15-year-study period (2007-2022). All the included studies were observational in nature. By comparing the Ob and NOb groups, shorter operative time and lower overall postoperative complication rates in the NOb population were recorded through the meta-analysis. Considering the subgroup analysis (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ), just the operative time maintained statistical significance. Conclusions : Obesity did not appear to impact RLA safety and effectiveness. Due to important biases (small overall sample size and few analyzed events), the interpretation of our results must be a careful one. Later randomized and multi-center trials may help the confirmation of our results.

Background: Investigating the application of single-port single-channel and single-port multi-channel adrenalectomy in various maximum tumor diameters., Methods: Retrospective analysis of clinical data from 218 adrenal tumors treated with single-port retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy at Lianyungang Clinical Medical College of Nanjing Medical University from September 2018 to November 2023. All adrenal tumors are benign lesions classified as T1 stage. Tumors were classified into three groups based on their maximum diameter: ≤3 cm (Group A), >3 cm and ≤ 4 cm (Group B), and > 4 cm and ≤ 5 cm (Group C). Based on the surgical approach, patients were divided into single-port single-channel and single-port multi-channel groups. Group A had an average tumor diameter of (2.32 ± 0.45) cm with 46 single-port single-channel and 53 single-port multi-channel cases; Group B had (3.42 ± 0.31) cm with 33 single-port single-channel and 45 single-port multi-channel cases; Group C had (4.60 ± 0.28) cm with 18 single-port single-channel and 23 single-port multi-channel cases. Comparisons were made between single-port single-channel and single-port multi-channel groups in terms of operation time, hospital stay, intraoperative bleeding, postoperative pain score, surgical complications, incision length (total length of all incisions), and the need for additional puncture holes for each tumor size group., Results: All 218 surgeries were successfully completed without conversion to open surgery. In Group A, no significant difference was observed between single-channel and multi-channel groups in terms of operation time and blood loss (P > 0.05), but significant differences were found in hospital stay, pain score, subcutaneous emphysema incidence, and incision length (P < 0.05). In Group B, there was no significant difference between single-channel and multi-channel groups regarding operation time and blood loss (P > 0.05), but significant differences were observed in hospital stay, pain score, subcutaneous emphysema incidence, and incision length (P < 0.05). In Group C, no significant difference was observed between single-channel and multi-channel groups in terms of hospital stay, blood loss, pain score, incision length, vascular injury, and subcutaneous emphysema incidence (P > 0.05), but significant differences were found in operation time and the incidence of additional puncture holes (P < 0.05). Postoperative follow-up ranged from 4 to 22 months, with an average of 11.5 months, and no complications were observed., Conclusions: Single-port single-channel laparoscopy has significant advantages in surgeries for tumors with a maximum diameter ≤ 4 cm, as it can directly reach the target organ, reduce separation operations, cause less damage, and has good cosmetic effects. For adrenal tumor surgeries with a maximum diameter > 4 cm, the multi-channel technique is superior to the single-channel technique in terms of shorter hospital stay and the need for additional punctures., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the first People’s Hospital of Lianyungang. And the reference number is 2016-LYYL-20. Informed consent was obtained from of all subjects and/or their legal guardian(s). Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Objective: Predicting postoperative prognosis is vital for clinical decision making in patients undergoing adrenalectomy (ADX). This study introduced GAPPA, a novel GNN-based approach, to predict post-ADX outcomes in patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism (UPA). The objective was to leverage the intricate dependencies between clinico-biochemical features and clinical outcomes using GNNs integrated into a bipartite graph structure to enhance prognostic prediction accuracy., Methods: We conceptualized prognostic prediction as a link prediction task on a bipartite graph, with nodes representing patients, clinico-biochemical features, and clinical outcomes, and edges denoting the connections between them. GAPPA utilizes GNNs to capture these dependencies and seamlessly integrates the outcome predictions into a graph structure. This approach was evaluated using a dataset of 640 patients with UPA who underwent unilateral ADX (uADX) between 1990 and 2022. We conducted a comparative analysis using repeated stratified five-fold cross-validation and paired t-tests to evaluate the performance of GAPPA against conventional machine learning methods and previous studies across various metrics., Results: GAPPA significantly outperformed conventional machine learning methods and previous studies (p < 0.05) across various metrics. It achieved F1-score, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 71.3 % ± 3.1 %, 71.1 % ± 3.4 %, 69.9 % ± 4.3 %, and 72.4 % ± 7.2 %, respectively, with an AUC of 0.775 ± 0.030. We also investigated the impact of different initialization schemes on GAPPA outcome-edge embeddings, highlighting their robustness and stability., Conclusion: GAPPA aids in preoperative prognosis assessment and facilitates patient counseling, contributing to prognostic prediction and advancing the applications of GNNs in the biomedical domain., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None declared., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Control of hemodynamic features during adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma is recommended to minimize perioperative cardiovascular complications. However, episodes of intraoperative hemodynamic instability have been observed during adrenalectomies with other indications than pheochromocytoma. The objective of this study was to compare the hemodynamic instability score assessed during unilateral adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma without preoperative medical preparation to hemodynamic instability score in nonsecreting tumor., Methods: This was an observational study with prospective intraoperative hemodynamic data collection (every 20 seconds) and retrospective analysis., Results: During the study period, 60 consecutive patients (30 pheochromocytomas vs 30 nonsecreting tumors) were included with a median number of data collections during total procedure time of 318 (interquartile range, 257-388). Mean cumulative intraoperative time outside the target blood pressure range expressed as a percentage of total procedure time was 13.3% vs 6.8% for systolic blood pressure >160 mm Hg (P = .01) and 2.4% vs 2.8% for mean arterial pressure <60 mm Hg (P = ns), respectively. The median hemodynamic instability score during total procedure time was 33 (interquartile range, 27-43) and 20 (interquartile range, 11-26) in the pheochromocytoma and nonsecreting tumor group, respectively (P < .01). Hemodynamic instability score were similar in patients with compared with without long-term antihypertensive treatment in each patient group (P = ns). The mean length of hospital stay was 2.0 ± 1.5 days, and 30-day morbidity rate was 6.6% (4/60) with no significant difference observed between both groups., Conclusion: Although intraoperative hemodynamic instability remains greater in the pheochromocytoma group without preoperative medical preparation, both groups have similar hypotensive episodes. These data highlight the need to better understand the role of preoperative medical preparation in pheochromocytoma patients., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest/Disclosure The authors have no related conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of pre-operative imaging regarding selecting cases of children's who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy due to adrenal masses in two tertiary medical centers., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all laparoscopic adrenalectomy performed at two tertiary medical centers in Israel between 2017 and 2023., Results: Sixteen (n=16) patients, 10 girls and six boys, underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy through a transperitoneal approach. The median age was 10 years (range: eight months to 17.3 years). Six masses were incidentalomas. Preoperative imaging (ultrasonography, CT, and MRI) demonstrated a mass in the right adrenal (n=9) and left adrenal (n=7), with tumor sizes ranging from 1.8 to 5.3 cm in maximum diameter. Operative results showed minimal blood loss and no conversions to laparotomy. There were no postoperative complications. Pathological diagnoses included neuroblastoma (n=8), cortical hormone-secreting tumors (n=3), pheochromocytoma (n=2), adrenal cortical adenoma (n=2), and adrenal metastatic Ewing sarcoma (n=1). Eleven masses were defined as benign and five as malignant tumors., Conclusions: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy appears to be a safe and effective technique in selected cases with adrenal masses. Among our cohort, malignant masses were more common compared to the predominantly benign adrenal masses seen in adults. Vascular encasement was a major factor in determining the feasibility of the laparoscopic approach, with preoperative imaging playing a critical role in this assessment., (© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Significant advances have been made in the past few decades in surgical management and outcomes of patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. Improvements in preoperative hypertensive control with the implementation of alpha- and beta-adrenergic blockade has resulted in better intra-operative blood pressure control and less incidence of hypertensive crises, which had been a large source of morbidity in the past. Emphasis on anesthesia and surgical team communication has also assisted in minimizing intraoperative hypertensive events at critical points of the operation. Shifting away from open resection, the now standard-of-care laparoscopic and minimally invasive adrenalectomy offers less pain, shorter hospitalizations, and quicker recoveries. Patient underlying germline mutations can guide the timing, approach, and extent of surgery. Postoperative outcomes have significantly improved with recent advancements in perioperative care in addition to regimented biochemical and radiographic surveillance. Here, we highlight the recent advancements in surgical approaches and outcomes for patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement The authors report no potential conflict of interests, financial or otherwise, related to content relevant to this article., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: To analyze the clinicopathological features, prognostic value and surgical treatment experience in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma with venous tumor thrombus., Methods: We collected relevant data of the patients with adrenocortical carcinoma who had undergone surgery in Peking University Third Hospital from 2018 to 2023. The patients were divided into venous tumor thrombus group and non-tumor thrombus group. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare the quantitative variables. The chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the categorical variables. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival rate., Results: A total of 27 patients with adrenocortical carcinoma were included, of whom 11 cases (40.7%) had venous tumor thrombus. In the patients with venous tumor thrombus, 8 patients were female and 3 were male. The median age was 49 (36, 58) years. The median body mass index was 26.0 (24.1, 30.4) kg/m 2 . Seven patients presented with symptoms at their initial visit. Six patients had a history of hypertension. Elevated levels of cortisol were observed in 2 cases. Three tumors were found on the left side, while 8 were found on the right side. Median tumor diameter was 9.4 (6.5, 12.5) cm. On the left, there was a case of tumor thrombus limited to the central vein of the left adrenal gland without invasion into the left renal vein, and two cases of tumor thrombus growth extending into the inferior vena cava below the liver. One case of tumor thrombus on the right adrenal central vein did not invade the inferior vena cava. Four cases of tumor thrombus invaded the inferior vena cava below the liver and three cases extended to the posterior of the liver. Ten patients were in European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors (ENSAT) stage Ⅲ and one was in ENSAT stage Ⅳ. Open surgery was performed in 6 cases, laparoscopic surgery alone in 4 cases and robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery in 1 case. Two patients underwent ipsilateral kidney resection. Median operative time was 332 (261, 440) min. Median intraoperative bleeding was 900 (700, 2 200) mL. Median hospital stay was 9 (5, 10) days. Median survival time for the patients with tumor thrombus was 24.0 months and median time to recurrence was 7.0 months. The median survival and recurrence time of 16 patients without tumor thrombus were not reached. The patients with tumor thrombus had worse 3-year overall survival (OS) rate (40.9% vs . 71.4%; Log-rank, P =0.038) and 2-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) (9.1% vs .53.7%; Log-rank, P =0.015) rates compared with the patients with non-tumor thrombus., Conclusion: Patients with adrenocortical carcinoma with venous tumor thrombus have poor prognosis. Different adrenal tumor resections and venous tumor thrombus removal procedures based on different tumor thrombus locations are safe and effective in treating this disease.

An otherwise healthy woman in her 30s presented with cardiogenic shock and acute pulmonary oedema (APO), subsequently requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). A CT scan revealed an adrenal mass that prompted the differential diagnosis of a pheochromocytoma crisis that was later further suggested by raised plasma metanephrines. In the absence of clear guidelines due to the clinical rarity, a decision was made to delay adrenalectomy and stabilise the patient from a cardiac perspective with the view to operate after improvement of cardiac function with adequate alpha and beta blockade. Despite multiple complications, the patient was discharged from the hospital on day 32. After stabilisation and improvement of cardiac function, the patient underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy. She was haemodynamically stable throughout the operation and was discharged on postoperative day 1 from the ICU to home. Histology confirmed the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. She has been stable on follow-up., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Lymph node dissection improves adrenocortical carcinoma staging, but remains anatomically poorly defined. This ambiguity stems from limited knowledge of the adrenals lymphatic network. This work aims to define lymph node dissection for adrenocortical carcinoma through a systematic review and anatomical study., Method: First, an anatomical study was conducted on fresh cadavers by injecting blue dye into each adrenal gland before dissection. Concurrently, a systematic review of anatomical and clinical studies was performed, focusing on adrenals lymphatic network, lymph node dissection, and location of invaded lymph nodes in surgical series., Results: Twelve adrenals from 6 cadavers were resected en bloc with a median of 3 lymph nodes (1.5-6) removed. Screening of 6,506 studies revealed (1) 18 anatomical studies on cadavers detailing a 3-stage compartmentalized adrenals lymphatic network with distinct right/left lymph nodes relays; (2) 4 clinical studies highlighting discrepancies in lymph node involvement in adrenocortical carcinoma patients compared with anatomical description of adrenals lymphatic network, notably: lower implication of celiac lymph node, preponderance of ipsilateral renal hilum lymph nodes, potential contralateral involvement; (3) 21 series of adrenocortical carcinoma surgery demonstrating the heterogeneity of lymph node dissection practice (22% ± 4% lymph node dissection rate), with an average of 2.7 ± 0.6 lymph nodes removed, already fewer than in our cadaveric study., Conclusion: Synthesis of anatomical and clinical studies suggest the following lymph node dissection protocol during adrenocortical carcinoma resection: capsular, renal hilum, para-cava, and inter-aortic-cava lymph nodes (right adrenocortical carcinoma); and capsular, renal hilum, para-aortic, and inter-aortic-cava lymph nodes (left adrenocortical carcinoma)., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the operative outcome of the use of intracavitary retractors in transumbilical laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) adrenalectomy in comparison with the conventional multiport laparoendoscopic procedure. Methods: Between July 2021 and December 2023, 34 patients underwent transumbilical LESS adrenalectomy with intracavitary retractors, while 47 patients underwent conventional multiport laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Comprehensive data were compared, including demographics, intraoperative outcomes, perioperative complications, postoperative visual analog pain scale score, analgesic requirement, and short-term measures of convalescence. Results: Baseline characteristics were similar between the groups. All procedures were successfully completed without additional access or open conversion. The mean operative time and estimated blood loss for LESS adrenalectomy were comparable with multiport adrenalectomy. The LESS group had significantly shorter incision length (3.07 cm versus 5.16 cm, P < .01), lower postoperative pain scores (3.29 versus 4.91, P < .01), less analgesic drug use (29% versus 53%, P = .03), and better cosmetic scores (9.29 versus 7.28, P < .01). No significant differences were observed in time to resume oral intake, time to ambulation, or postoperative hospital stay. Complication rates were similar between the groups. Conclusion: The utilization of intracavitary retractors in transumbilical LESS adrenalectomy has demonstrated feasibility, effectiveness, and the potential to reduce technical complexities with satisfactory cosmetic effects. This technique enhances visualization of the surgical field without the need for extra ports.

Background: Minimally invasive surgery for paediatric adrenal tumours has evolved, but robot-assisted laparoscopic adrenalectomy (RALA) in children remains poorly studied. The current prospective study aims to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of RALA in treating children with adrenal tumours., Methods: A prospective institutional analysis of children presenting with neuroblastic and endocrine tumours treated with RALA was undertaken over a six year-period. For each child, clinical parameters were collected relating to diagnosis, surgery and outcomes., Results: A total 50 RALA were performed; 23 for unilateral neuroblastic tumours (87 % neuroblastomas) and 27 for endocrine tumours. Eight neuroblastic tumours (35 %) had image-defined risk factors (all due to tumour invading the renal pedicle). Median length of stay was two days. Resection margins were macroscopically clear in all cases. After median follow-up of 2.9 years (1.6-3.9), two children are under treatment for metastatic relapse (high-risk disease) and three died due to refractory disease. Sixteen children had endocrine tumours: pheochromocytoma (n = 13), or bilateral nodular adrenocortical hyperplasia with Cushing's syndrome (n = 14). One child required non-emergent conversion, and one complication occurred (grade IIIb) after median follow-up of 3.3 years (1.0-5.7)., Conclusions: The current study is the largest reported experience in the literature and confirms the safety and effectiveness of RALA in carefully selected children with adrenal tumours. Through an iterative process and in the setting of a dedicated paediatric robotic surgical team indications have been clarified and extended. The current study confirms RALA has particularly utility in patients with severe disease (IDRF + metastatic neuroblastomas) or genetic predisposition syndromes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest TB is an official proctor for Intuitive Surgical. None of the other authors have any disclosures., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Current guidelines recommend adrenal venous sampling (AVS) for subtyping primary aldosteronism (PA). However, bilateral adrenal cannulation failure is common especially at low-volume centers. The role of unilateral-cannulating AVS in selecting patients for unilateral adrenalectomy is unclear., Methods: Fifty consecutive patients underwent AVS between 2009 and 2023 and thirty-three (66%) underwent unilateral adrenalectomy. We defined unilateral PA (uPA) by the normalized plasma aldosterone and the aldosterone-renin ratio following unilateral adrenalectomy. We examined the effectiveness of unilateral-cannulating AVS in identifying uPA., Results: 88%, 50%, and 48% of patients had the left, right, and bilateral adrenal veins successfully cannulated, respectively. Among patients with bilateral successful cannulation, a lateralization index (LI) > 4 provided a sensitivity of 100% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 86.7% for uPA. Thresholds for the contralateral suppression index (CSI) and relative aldosterone secretion index (RASI) were derived from this subgroup and applied to the entire cohort. CSI <0.5 demonstrated a sensitivity of 76.5% and PPV of 92.9% for uPA, whereas RASI >2.4 showed a sensitivity of 85.0% and PPV of 94.4% for uPA. With CSI <0.5 or RASI >2.4 combined, a higher PPV (95.5%) was achieved when compared to computed tomography and iodocholesterol scintigraphy (86.2% and 62.5%, respectively)., Conclusion: Despite unsuccessful bilateral cannulation, our study confirms that unilateral-cannulating AVS can effectively select patients for unilateral adrenalectomy based on a combination of CSI or RASI criteria., (© 2024 The Author(s). World Journal of Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Surgery/Société Internationale de Chirurgie (ISS/SIC).)

Background: We describe our experience with single-incision retroperitoneal laparoscopic (SIRL) for resection of adrenal tumors in pediatric patients and discuss the technique's clinical value., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 27 pediatric patients who underwent SIRL between January 2020 and September 2023. Patients with tumors >5 cm in size and those requiring vascular skeletonization surgery or extensive lymph node dissection were excluded. Demographic, perioperative, and prognostic data were collected, and computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging were used for preoperative tumor assessment., Results: Of 27 patients, 16 were male and 11 were female; mean age 54 ± 45 months and mean body mass index 17.2 ± 3.6 kg/m 2 . Mean tumor length, width, and height were 4.1 ± 1.8 cm, 3.3 ± 2.1 cm, and 2.9 ± 1.7 cm, respectively. One patient experienced a diaphragmatic tear, three patients incurred peritoneal damage, and one patient developed postoperative renal artery injury, leading to thrombosis and renal atrophy. No surgery was converted to open surgery, and no intraoperative or postoperative blood transfusions were required. Operative time, blood loss, and postoperative dietary recovery time were satisfactory. No local recurrence or distant metastases were detected during the 6-48 months of follow-up involving outpatient and telephone assessments., Conclusions: Application of SIRL in pediatric patients with adrenal tumors achieved favorable clinical outcomes with an effective, minimally invasive surgical option for treating children with adrenal tumors. This technique demands a high level of surgical expertise, specialized instruments and experienced surgeons. Our findings indicate that SIRL is safe and provides significant postoperative benefits in pediatric patients., Level of Evidence: Level IV., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None declared, (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Adrenal myelolipomas are rare, benign, tumours of the adrenal cortex., Aims: This study reports the experience of a tertiary adrenal surgery referral centre's approach to the management of patients with adrenal myelolipoma., Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted on all adult patients (> 18 years age) diagnosed with adrenal myelolipoma from January 1, 2014, to December 30, 2022. Demographics, imaging characteristics, histological diagnosis (where applicable) and follow-up data were compared between patients undergoing surgery and those referred to surveillance. Indications for operative intervention were recorded at the time of multidisciplinary team discussion, consisting of surgeons, endocrinology physicians, radiologists, pathologists and specialist nursing representatives., Results: Of the 522 patients with an adrenal lesion discussed in adrenal tumour meeting between 2014 and 2022, n = 15 (2.8%) were diagnosed with adrenal myelolipoma. Of the 15 patients, 4 underwent adrenalectomy at first presentation (27%), while 1 patient underwent adrenalectomy after interval follow-up. Indications for operative intervention were as follows: 'indeterminate lesion' (n = 3), 'abdominal pain and size (> 4 cm)' (n = 1) and 'mass effect on adjacent organs' (n = 1). The mean rate of lesion growth in patients referred for surveillance (n = 10) was 0.13 cm/year. Histology confirmed adrenal myelolipoma as the diagnosis in all resected tumours., Conclusions: For patients with adrenal myelolipoma, the presence of symptoms and/or indeterminate features on imaging may be more clinically useful indications for operative intervention over size alone. The surveillance of adrenal myelolipomas, even in patients with adrenal lesions > 4 cm, is a safe clinical strategy, provided the imaging characteristics are benign and patients remain asymptomatic., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: Ethical approval was provided for this study from the Tallaght Hospital Research Committee. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Indocyanine green imaging (ICG) is an expansion technology that can contribute to the development of demanding techniques such as cortical-sparing adrenalectomy (CSA). The aim of this study was to determine in which cases CSA should be performed and when total adrenalectomy should be performed instead based on ICG fluorescence. Here, we present our experience through a series of cases and videos., Methods: Prospective and descriptive study on patients with surgical adrenal lesions who were proposed for CSA using ICG with near-infrared fluorescence imaging in our center. A first bolus of 6,25 mg ICG was administered intravenously upon exposure of the retroperitoneal plane. Fluorescence was visualized using a Storz ® NIR/ICG endoscopic system., Results: Seven patients were proposed for CSA. After the application of ICG, a change in attitude was carried out in 71.4% of the cases (five of seven). In the two patients in whom CSA could be performed, the adrenal remnants were functional, and the resection margins of the surgical specimens were free of disease. The reasons why partial adrenalectomy could not be completed, and a total adrenalectomy was decided instead were the presence of a tumor located very close to the adrenal vein that prevented a correct remnant volume (n = 4) and one case of isofluorescent tumor with the adrenal parenchyma., Conclusion: ICG fluorescence guidance could help in the decision making to select patients intraoperatively for successful cortical preservation., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: All authors meet the criteria for authorship in the Consensus Statement on Journal Authorship. There are not conflicts of interest. Ethical approval and research involving human participants and/or animals: All procedures performed in our study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee for clinical research at the Virgen del Rocio University Hospital (Seville, Spain). (No. e75cfdea9355c3b559aa3a8b4a44ecc7f2281467). Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained for surgical procedure prior to their participation., (© 2024. Italian Society of Surgery (SIC).)

Introduction: Laparoscopic transabdominal adrenalectomy (LTA) and posterior retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy (PRA) are safe, effective surgical approaches. A direct comparison of postoperative pain and narcotic use is needed., Methods: Adults who had laparoscopic adrenalectomy at a tertiary institution from 2015 to 2021 were identified from a surgical database. Evaluated key outcomes included opioid use and patient-reported pain during the perioperative period, which were analyzed by surgical approach and compared using multivariate linear regression. Additional data on pain postdischarge, prescription refills, length of stay, and 30-d readmission were also collected., Results: Eighty-eight (69.3%) surgeries were LTA and 39 (30.7%) were PRA. The studied patient population was 58% female and had an average age of 54 (standard deviation 13). Adrenal tumors were 75% functional and 3.4 cm on average (standard deviation 2.6). Postoperative pain scores at rest (4.4 LTA versus 4.5 PRA, P = 0.87) and activity (4.7 LTA versus 5.6 PRA, P = 0.08) did not reach statistical significance. Patients undergoing LTA used a median of 110.3 morphine milligram equivalents (interquartile range 70.1-144.5) of opioids during their hospital stay compared to 91.0 (interquartile range 59.1-133.3) for PRA (P = 0.16). Linear regression demonstrated no significant difference in postoperative opioid use between approaches (-9.3 morphine milligram equivalents [95% confidence interval -40.7 to 22.1])., Conclusions: Our analysis found no significant advantage of PRA over LTA in terms of postoperative pain or opioid use, contrary to earlier findings by Barczyński et al., who reported lower postoperative pain with PRA. Both approaches show similar clinical outcomes, and the choice between them should be based on individual patient factors rather than differences in patient-reported pain and opioid usage., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The primary surgical approach for removing adrenal masses is minimally invasive adrenalectomy. Recognition of anatomical landmarks during surgery is critical for minimizing complications. Artificial intelligence-based tools can be utilized to create real-time navigation systems during laparoscopic and robotic right adrenalectomy. In this study, we aimed to develop deep learning models that can identify critical anatomical structures during minimally invasive right adrenalectomy., Methods: In this experimental feasibility study, intraoperative videos of 20 patients who underwent minimally invasive right adrenalectomy in a tertiary care center between 2011 and 2023 were analyzed and used to develop an artificial intelligence-based anatomical landmark recognition system. Semantic segmentation of the liver, the inferior vena cava (IVC), and the right adrenal gland were performed. Fifty random images per patient during the dissection phase were extracted from videos. The experiments on the annotated images were performed on two state-of-the-art segmentation models named SwinUNETR and MedNeXt, which are transformer and convolutional neural network (CNN)-based segmentation architectures, respectively. Two loss function combinations, Dice-Cross Entropy and Dice-Focal Loss were experimented with for both of the models. The dataset was split into training and validation subsets with an 80:20 distribution on a patient basis in a 5-fold cross-validation approach. To introduce a sample variability to the dataset, strong-augmentation techniques were performed using intensity modifications and perspective transformations to represent different surgery environment scenarios. The models were evaluated by Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) and Intersection over Union (IoU) which are widely used segmentation metrics. For pixelwise classification performance, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity metrics were calculated on the validation subset., Results: Out of 20 videos, 1000 images were extracted, and the anatomical landmarks (liver, IVC, and right adrenal gland) were annotated. Randomly distributed 800 images and 200 images were selected for the training and validation subsets, respectively. Our benchmark results show that the utilization of Dice-Cross Entropy Loss with the transformer-based SwinUNETR model achieved 78.37%, whereas the CNN-based MedNeXt model reached a 77.09% mDSC score. Conversely, MedNeXt reaches a higher mIoU score of 63.71% than SwinUNETR by 62.10% on a three-region prediction task., Conclusion: Artificial intelligence-based systems can predict anatomical landmarks with high performance in minimally invasive right adrenalectomy. Such tools can later be used to create real-time navigation systems during surgery in the near future.

Background: Primary aldosteronism (PA), the most common curable salt-dependent form of arterial hypertension, features renal K + loss and enhanced Na + reabsorption. We investigated whether the electrolyte, water, and TonEBP (tonicity-responsive enhancer binding protein)/ NFAT5 (nuclear factor of activated T cells 5) content is altered in the skin of patients with PA and corrected by surgical cure., Methods: We obtained skin biopsies from 80 subjects: 49 consecutive patients with PA, optimally treated with a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist; 6 essential hypertensives; and 25 normotensive controls. We measured Na + , K + , water content with atomic absorption spectroscopy after ashing, and NFAT5 mRNA with digital droplet polymerase chain reaction. The patients with PA were retested after adrenalectomy., Results: We discovered a higher dry weight of the skin biopsy specimen at surgery than at follow-up ( P <0.001) and a direct correlation with electrolyte and water content (all P <0.01), indicating the need for dry weight adjustment of electrolyte and water data. Surgical cure of PA markedly increased skin dry weight-adjusted K + (from 1.14±0.1 to 2.81±0.27 µg/mg; P <0.001) and water content (from 2.92±1.4 to 3.85±0.23 mg/mg; P <0.001), but left dry weight-adjusted skin Na + content unaffected. In patients with PA at baseline, NFAT5 mRNA was higher ( P =0.031) than in normotensive controls and decreased after surgery ( P =0.035)., Conclusions: Despite mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist treatment ensuring normokalemia, the patients with PA had a skin cell K + depletion that was corrected by adrenalectomy. The activated NFAT5 /TonEBP pathway during mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist administration suggests enhanced skin Na + lymphatic drainage and can explain the lack of overt skin Na + accumulation in patients with PA. Its deactivation after surgical cure can account for the lack of skin Na + decrease postadrenalectomy., Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT06090617., Competing Interests: None.

Objective: The impact of obesity on outcomes after adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma is unclear. This study aims to evaluate outcomes after minimally invasive and open adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma in patients with obesity and to determine factors that may affect outcomes. Patients undergoing adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma in 46 international centers between 2012 and 2022 were reviewed, analyzing baseline information, length of hospital stay (LOS), and postoperative complications., Patients and Methods: Obese (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ) and nonobese patients were compared. Multivariable analysis was utilized to evaluate outcomes and risk factors for complications, LOS, and increased comprehensive complication index (CCI)., Results: Of the 2016 patients, 639 (31.7%) had obesity. Operative time (110.0 versus 105.0 min; p = 0.467), conversion to open rate (3.1% versus 4.7%; p = 0.079), estimated blood loss (20.0 versus 20.0 ml, p = 0.088), rate of complications (19.3% versus 20.8%; p = 0.425), and CCI were similar. However, patients with obesity required a median of 1 day longer LOS (4.0 days versus 5.0 days; p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, obesity was not significantly associated with complications or higher CCI. Analyzing solely obese patients, laparoscopic (OR 0.24; p < 0.001) and robotic (OR 0.22; p = 0.011) approaches were independently associated with less morbidity. Additionally, multivariable modeling demonstrated that a retroperitoneal approach in patients with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 was independently associated with reduced CCI (- 3.74; p = 0.017). Similar results were demonstrated when analyzing severe obesity (BMI ≥ 35)., Conclusions: Obesity does not increase complications or CCI following pheochromocytoma resection, but it does increase LOS. A retroperitoneal approach may uniquely benefit patients with obesity. In view of rising obesity rates, these results warrant further research to validate findings., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Ethical approval: The study was approved with registration: CARMS-18769., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Objective: Adreno CorticoTropic Hormone (ACTH)-independent Cushing's syndrome (CS) in children is very rare but potentially fatal. In bilateral nodular hyperplasia, synchronous bilateral adrenalectomy (SBA) represents the definitive treatment to correct hypercortisolism. We aim to report the multidisciplinary management of this rare condition., Methods: Presentation, management, and outcomes of all children with ACTH-independent CS who underwent SBA in a tertiary reference center between 1992 and 2022 were retrospectively analyzed., Results: Ten children were included: 6 with McCune-Albright syndrome, 4 with primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease (3 with Carney complex). Presentation varied according to age at diagnosis. In infants (n = 7), failure to thrive with anorexia (n = 7), cushingoid facies (n = 7), arterial hypertension (n = 6), hypotonia (n = 5), hyperglycemia (n = 4), liver dysfunction (n = 4), and hypercalcemia with nephrocalcinosis (n = 4) were the main reasons for urgent hospitalization. Prepubertal children (n = 3) presented with linear growth arrest associated with obesity, cushingoid facies, and hirsutism. SBA was indicated in severe neonatal hypercortisolism, or in those that were non-responsive to medical treatment. SBA was performed by robot-assisted laparoscopy (n = 6), laparoscopy (n = 2) or laparotomy (n = 2). One post-operative complication occurred (seroma in the adrenal bed). During follow-up, (median: 4.8 years) no deaths or acute adrenal crisis occurred., Conclusion: Pediatric CS must be referred to a pediatric center with medical and surgical expertise. Shared decision-making regarding SBA must be prompt to allow rapid cure of CS, even if it implies lifelong steroid replacement. This avoids long-term complications of hypercortisolism, particularly cognitive decline. Robot-assisted SBA is feasible and safe, even in infants when performed by an experienced robotic team., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: J.B. has received grants to his institution from Novartis, HRA Pharma, and Recordati, and personal honoraria for consulting, lectures, and/or meeting attendance from Novartis, HRA Pharma, Ipsen, Corcept and Recordati. T.B. is an official proctor for Intuitive Surgical. No financial conflicts are declared by the other authors., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Endocrinology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: The cure for patients with primary hyperaldosteronism (PHA) secondary to solitary adrenal adenoma is adrenalectomy. We investigated the impact of size of Conns' tumour on hypertension resolution in a multi-ethnic South East Asian Cohort., Methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent surgery for PHA between January 2010 to December 2022 was performed. Clinicopathological parameters that included tumour size, blood pressure parameters, class and dosage of drugs, biochemical indices and details of surgery were collected. Cure of hypertension was defined as normal blood pressure post-adrenalectomy. Statistical significance was defined as a P value of < 0.05., Results: 94 patients (40 female:54 male; 102 women; age 49.3 ± 11.8 years) with PHA were operated on laparoscopically (79 trans-abdominal and 15 retroperitoneal approach). Tumour size ranged from 0.4 to 4.6 cm (mean 1.5 ± 0.6 cm). Hypertension Grades were Grade 1 in 38 (40%), Grade 2 in 45 (48%) and Grade 3 in 11 (12%) patients. Patients were on a mean of 3 classes of drugs prior to surgery and this decreased to mean of 1 class of drug post adrenalectomy. All patients were rendered normokalaemic and overall cure of the patients from hypertension was 82.0%. Large adenoma (defined as greater than 1.5 cm) resulting in a greater decrease in blood pressure (mean decrease of 32mmHg systolic, 15mmHg diastolic and MAP 20mmHg) in comparison to smaller adenomas (p = 0.003), but with lower cure rates of hypertension (p = 0.038)., Conclusions: Large Conn's adenomas result in a greater reduction in blood pressure post-adrenalectomy but with decreased cure rates of hypertension compared to the small adenomas., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: None. Financial disclosures: None. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic efficacy of the most commonly used radiological evaluation in form of contrast enhanced computed tomography of abdomen with adrenal protocol, basic functional evaluation and surgical outcomes of primary adrenal masses., Material and Methods: We have retrospectively analysed the institutional records of 108, patients admitted from August 2017 to September 2023, who had underwent surgical intervention for their adrenal mass after thorough evaluation and stabilization., Results: Flank pain was the most common symptoms in 44 (40.74%) patients. Non-functional adrenal adenoma was found in 36 (33.33%) patients. Pheochromocytoma was the most the common functional adrenal mass found in 24 (22.22%) patients. CECT abdomen had suggested features of malignancy in 16(14.81%) patients. In final histopathological report 26(24.07%) patients had pheochromocytoma and 12 (11.11%) patients had adrenocortical carcinoma. CECT abdomen had sensitivity of 75%, specificity of 95.6%. Plasma free metanephrines and normetanephrine analysis had shown sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 92.86%, aldosterone to renin ratio had sensitivity of 92%, specificity of 100%. Sensitivity and specificity of the low-dose dexamethasone suppression test and plasma dehydroepiandrosterone was 100% in our study. Eighty patients (74.07%) were operated with laparoscopic adrenalectomy, 20 (18.52%) patients with open adrenalectomy. Eight patients (7.41%) were converted from laparoscopic to open. Laparoscopic approach had significantly lesser mean operating time, lesser blood loss, lesser hospitalization and lesser post-operative complications., Conclusion: Radiological analysis and functional analysis has shown good sensitivity and high specificity. Laparoscopic approach has advantage of lesser operative time, lesser hospitalization and lesser post-operative complications., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Background: Postoperative negative pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE) can occur in any patient undergoing general anesthesia. There are several risk factors for it, especially postoperative laryngospasm. The disease is usually benign and quickly reversible. In our case the severity and need for advanced critical care therapy was unusual., Case: We report a severe case of postoperative negative pressure pulmonary edema in a 62-year-old male patient undergoing elective right-sided retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy. The patient developed a severe case of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after postoperative laryngospasm, possibly in conjunction with a suspected anaphylactic reaction. The patient was consequently treated with a combination of invasive airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) and a prone positioning regimen. After drastic improvement in respiratory function, the patient was discharged from the intensive care unit after 10 days and from the hospital after 14 days., Conclusion: NPPE is a rare but relevant complication of anesthesia and laryngospasm. The disease can basically occur in any patient undergoing general anesthesia and therefore should be considered., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: This study describes the effects of introducing a protocol omitting preoperative α-blockade dose-escalation (de-escalation) in a prospective patient group., Background: The decline of mortality and morbidity associated with pheochromocytoma resection is frequently attributed to the introduction of preoperative α-blockade. Current protocols require preoperative α-blockade dose-escalation and multiple-day hospital admissions. However, correlating evidence is lacking. Moreover, recent data suggest equal perioperative safety regardless of preoperative α-blockade escalation., Methods: Single-institution evaluation of protocol implementation, including patients who underwent adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma between 2015 and 2023. Intraoperative hemodynamic control was regulated by active adjustment of blood pressure using vasoactive agents. The primary outcome was intraoperative hypertension, defined as the time-weighted average of systolic blood pressure (TWA-SBP) above 200 mm Hg. Secondary outcomes included perioperative hypotension, postoperative blood pressure support requirement, hospital stay duration, and complications., Results: Of 102 pheochromocytoma patients, 82 were included; 44 in the de-escalated preoperative α-adrenergic protocol and 38 following the previous dose-escalation protocol. Median [IQR] TWA-SBP above 200 mm Hg was 0.01 [0.0-0.4] mm Hg in the de-escalated group versus 0.0 [0.0-0.1] mm Hg in the dose-escalated group ( P =0.073). The median duration of postoperative continuous norepinephrine administration was 0.3 hours [0.0-5.5] versus 5.1 hours [0.0-14.3], respectively ( P =0.003). Postoperative symptomatic hypotension occurred in 34.2% versus 9.1% of patients ( P =0.005). Median hospital stay was 2.5 days [1.9-3.6] versus 7.1 days [6.0-11.9] ( P <0.001). No significant differences in complication rates were observed., Conclusion: Our data suggest that adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma employing a de-escalated preoperative α-blockade protocol is safe and results in a shorter hospital stay., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Our goal was to compare outcomes of adrenalectomy performed by low-volume and high-volume academic urologists with extensive experience in renal surgery., Methods: A single-center retrospective review identified patients undergoing adrenalectomy by urologists from 2009 to 2023. Data were gathered on demographics, tumor characteristics, surgeon volume, surgical outcomes including length of procedure, estimated blood loss, length of stay, and complications identified by the Clavien-Dindo complication classification system. Bivariable and multivariable analyses adjusting for BMI, size of mass, age, and surgical approach compared outcomes between low- and high-volume adrenalectomy surgeons., Results: A total of 304 adrenalectomies were performed by 7 urologic surgeons during the study period. One surgeon was high volume, with an average of 15 adrenalectomies per year during the study period. The remaining 6 surgeons ranged from < 1 to 4 adrenalectomies per year on average during the study period and were considered low volume. On multivariable analysis, the rate of any complication was found to be significantly different between the groups (5.3% vs 13.5%, P = .01). However, on analysis of Clavien 3 or higher complications, the rate was not found to be different (1% vs 4%, P = .22). Procedure time (130 vs 134 minutes, P = .33), estimated blood loss (30 vs 50 mL, P = .86), positive margin rate (11% vs 7%, P = .35), and length of stay (2 days vs 2 days, P = .22) were not different when the surgery was performed by a high-volume or low-volume urologist., Conclusions: Surgical volume may not affect outcomes of adrenalectomy when performed by urologists experienced in retroperitoneal surgery at a high-volume, specialized center.

Background/aim: To evaluate the difficulty of laparoscopic adrenalectomy by investigating the usefulness of the Mayo Adhesive Probability (MAP) score for assessing adherent perinephric fat and its correlation with histological reality., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 103 patients who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomies. Based on preoperative computed tomography images, the patients were categorized into two groups: high (3-5 points) and low MAP (0-2 points). Clinical characteristics and perioperative data were compared between the two groups. Additionally, we analyzed the pathological tissue of the tumor and surrounding fat using hematoxylin-eosin-saffron staining., Results: Compared with the low MAP group, the high MAP group had younger patients (59 vs. 62 years, p=0.097), more male patients (93.3% vs. 44.3%, p<0.001), and higher body mass indices (26.4 vs. 23.8, kg/m 2 , p=0.029). The MAP group experienced a significantly higher estimated blood loss compared to the low MAP group (10 vs. 52.3, ml, p=0.047). Tumor and adhering perirenal fat tissues of pheochromocytoma, adrenal carcinoma, and metastatic adrenal tumors exhibited significantly higher expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and cluster of differentiation 204 compared to the low MAP group (p<0.001). Additionally, both proteins were highly expressed in the adhering perirenal fat in the high MAP group (p=0.020, p=0.015)., Conclusion: Patients with a preoperative MAP score ≥3, pheochromocytoma, or malignant tumor had a high risk of increased intraoperative blood loss. Strict perioperative management should be performed in such cases., (Copyright © 2024, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The focused use of a single-site port as an adjunct designed to decrease overall port site number and/or assist with specimen extraction in pediatric robotic surgery has not been fully elucidated. We aimed to describe the feasibility of using the single-site port as an adjunct during multi-port robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery (RA-MIS). Methods: A single institution retrospective review of pediatric patients who underwent multiport RA-MIS with an adjunctive single-site (SS) port from August 2018 to October 2022 was performed. Demographic, perioperative, and postoperative variables were collected; descriptive analysis was performed. Results: A total of 13 patients were included; 46% were female, and 47% were Caucasian. Median age at surgery was 14.9 years of age (interquartile range [IQR] 10.6, 18); median weight was 61.1 kg (IQR 39.7, 73.6). Eleven patients (85%) underwent splenectomy; 2 patients (15%) underwent adrenalectomy. Four patients had a combined procedure (SS cholecystectomy with multi-port splenectomy [ n = 3], multi-port bilateral adrenalectomy [ n = 1]). The median total operative time was 197 minutes (IQR 131, 316); median console time was 59 minutes (IQR 40, 126). Two 8 mm robotic ports were utilized for all but 1 patient who required a third 8 mm port. The median length of stay was 2.1 days (IQR 2.0, 3.1). One readmission for fever occurred following a combined cholecystectomy/splenectomy. No hernias or wound infections were identified at the single-site port. Conclusion: Use of a SS port as an adjunct is a feasible option and should be considered for those with splenomegaly or need for combined procedures in different quadrants of the abdomen.

Introduction: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is considered to be the gold standard approach in the field of adrenal surgery. This technique offers advantages of great importance compared to variant laparotomy techniques. Notwithstanding, a technique that needs to be mentioned is the thoracoabdominal approach which facilitates the anatomic exposure of the retroperitoneum, adrenal gland, and great vessels and is strongly recommended for the surgery of large, malignant adrenal tumors., (This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Surgical treatment of pheochromocytomas is associated with circulatory dynamics instability, necessitating systemic management of the patient in the intensive care unit after surgery. Early mobilization after pheochromocytoma surgery is not described in the guidelines, and to our knowledge, no reports have specifically focused on circulatory dynamics during early mobilization after surgery., Case Presentation: A 31-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with bilateral pheochromocytoma and underwent a second-stage adrenalectomy for bilateral pheochromocytoma at our hospital. We evaluated circulatory dynamics during a passive upright posture on postoperative days 1 and 4. She was placed on a tilt bed in the supine position (0° head) for 15 min, passive upright posture (60°) for 15 min, and supine position again for 10 min. In the passive upright posture, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased, and the heart rate increased by 10 bpm over approximately 10 minutes. After the postural change from the passive upright posture to the supine position, the heart rate decreased to a level lower than in the supine prior to the passive upright posture. The same measurements were taken on postoperative day 4. Systolic blood pressure decreased in the passive upright posture, but diastolic blood pressure remained unchanged. The heart rate also increased earlier after passive upright posture compared with that on the day after surgery. When the patient returned to the supine position from the passive upright posture, the heart rate decreased even further compared with its level prior to the passive upright posture, as observed on the day after surgery., Conclusion: Circulatory dynamics may fluctuate after surgery for pheochromocytoma due to a relative decrease in epinephrine and norepinephrine secretion. In this case, the patient's response may be close to normal by the fourth postoperative day, but circulatory dynamics fluctuations were noted on both the first and fourth postoperative days when the patient was supine after passive upright posture. Although the substantial variability of perioperative circulatory dynamics in patients with pheochromocytoma has improved considerably with the development of perioperative management guidelines, circulatory dynamics should be carefully monitored during early mobilization and after its completion., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

To further demonstrate the gold standard role of adrenal vein sampling (AVS) in the subtyping diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA). In this study, 9 patients with special PA, whose functional advantages indicated by AVS were contrary to the results of CT examination, were selected. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed based on AVS results, and the surgical outcome was followed up. Nine patients, aged[ M ( Q 1 , Q 3 )] 58.0 (52.0, 63.0) years, including 7 males and 2 females, were followed up for 12 (9, 12) months. CT revealed unilateral morphological abnormalities in 5 cases (the functional advantage side indicated by AVS was contrary to the results of CT examination), and bilateral abnormalities in 4 cases (AVS results confirmed unilateral abnormalities). During the follow-up, all 9 patients achieved complete biochemical remission, 4 patients achieved complete clinical remission, and 5 patients achieved partial clinical remission. The study indicates that compared with CT imaging, AVS has better accuracy in PA subtyping, and selecting surgical side based on AVS results is a reliable and effective strategy.

Rationale: Primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PBMAH) is a rare cause of ACTH-independent Cushing syndrome (CS), accounting for <2% of CS cases. Diagnosing PBMAH can be difficult and challenging for clinicians., Patient Concerns: We report a 52-year-old female, a patient with a history of intermittent fever for 3 years. She presented with nausea, headache, and dizziness for several days, along with fatigue, myalgia, muscle weakness, exertional dyspnea, hoarseness, spontaneous bruising over the past several months, and long-term psychological complaints. Additionally, we observed periorbital and facial edema, right lower quadrant tenderness, and abdominal striae during the examination., Diagnoses: Her laboratory results showed increased cortisol and suppressed ACTH, and an abdominal CT scan revealed 2 heterogeneous masses in the adrenal glands. These findings led us to the diagnosis of PBMAH in this patient. The existence of aberrant receptors was evaluated, and the tests were negative., Interventions: The patient underwent left adrenalectomy and corticosteroid therapy after the surgery. Her clinical complaints improved after the surgery., Outcomes: However, her dependency on corticosteroids was not transient after unilateral adrenalectomy, and she still needs glucocorticoid supplementation 1 year after surgery., Lessons: This patient is a case of PBMAH who presented with fever and CS symptoms and underwent unilateral adrenalectomy. Interestingly, she had suppressed cortisol levels for at least 1 year after the unilateral adrenalectomy. Therefore, we suggest further research on the most effective treatment strategies for PBMAH., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is worldwide currently considered the gold standard technique for patients suffering from benign lesions. There has been an increasing number of robotic-assisted adrenalectomies in the last decade due to the systematic further development of minimally invasive surgery resulting in the implementation of robot-assisted surgery. Interestingly, the available studies show some perioperative advantages for robotic surgery but overall the current evidence is weak and there are economic aspects that are not negligible. Therefore, further high-quality studies about robotic-assisted adrenalectomy are mandatory to strengthen the current evidence., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Objective: To evaluate the value of preoperative 3D planning and intraoperative navigation in robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery for complex pheochromocytoma., Study Design: Observational study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Urology, The Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, from July 2022 to July 2023., Methodology: Sixty patients with complex pheochromocytoma were divided into the study group (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30) according to the treatment method. The study group was treated with robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery, with preoperative 3D printing-based planning, and intraoperative 3D navigation, and the control group underwent conventional retroperitoneal robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Surgical-related indicators and intraoperative and postoperative complication rates between the two groups were compared., Results: The operation time, postoperative hospital stay, and drainage tube retention time in the study group were significantly shorter than in the control group (p <0.001), and the intraoperative blood loss in the study group was significantly less than in the control group (p <0.001). The study group exhibited a significantly lower incidence of intraoperative haemodynamic instability (HI), use of vasoactive drugs, and postoperative ICU transfer rate than the control group (p <0.05). The incidence of surgical complications in the study group was significantly lower than in the control group (p = 0.04). The non-recurrence rate in the study and control groups after 1-year follow-up was 96.7% and 90%, respectively (χ2 = 2.77, p = 0.10)., Conclusion: Robot-assisted surgery, performed through renal surface, has the advantages of less bleeding, shorter surgical time, faster recovery, fewer complications related to chromaffin cell inflammation and postoperative complications, and is safe and effective in treating complex pheochromocytoma., Key Words: 3D planning and navigation, Robot-assisted surgery, Complex pheochromocytoma.

Purpose: Pheochromocytoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor. Despite the low incidence, these tumors are of indisputable importance. This study aimed to analyze the management of pheochromocytoma in a referral center, with an emphasis on the minimally invasive adrenalectomy, which is the preferred therapeutic approach., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on a cohort of patients diagnosed with pheochromocytoma who underwent adrenalectomy between January 2013 and December 2022. Clinical data including demographics, timelines, symptomatology, comorbidities, biochemical markers, genetic testing, surgical details, and follow-up outcomes, were collected and analyzed., Results: The cohort included 44 patients, predominantly women (52.27%), with a median age of 53.39 years (range 13-83). Most of patients exhibited paroxysmal symptoms suggesting catecholamine excess. Documented hypertension was the most frequent (86.36%), along with glucose anomalies (40.01%) and anxiety disorder (31.82%). Genetic testing was performed in 36 (81.81%) patients and 14 (38.88%) revealed a positive result, predominantly RET pathogenic variant. Laparoscopic surgery was performed in 34 (79.07%) patients, showing significantly shorter operative time (2.5 h vs. 4.25 h, t-test p < 0,001) and fewer complications (23.53% vs 77.78%, p = 0.008). Postoperative complications occurred in 36.36% of the patients, mostly mild (grade I, 56.25%), with no mortality. SDHB pathogenic variant correlated with both recurrent and metastatic disease (p = 0.006). One-year follow-up reported 9.09% recurrence and 6.82% metastasis., Conclusions: Adrenalectomy demonstrated a high safety and effectiveness. This study exhibited a higher rate of genetic testing referral than other studies. Despite past advances, there is still a need for further studies to establish protocols and evaluate new techniques., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy (TLA) is the most frequently chosen approach in adrenal surgery. At present, impact of obesity on patient outcomes following adrenal surgery is frequently under discussion. We intended to offer updated evidence thanks to a comparison between intraoperative and perioperative outcomes in non-obese and obese patients, who underwent TLA for benign or malignant adrenal diseases., Methods: Our systematic review made use of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA) guidelines. Articles of interest turned out from a search with PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials-CENTRAL), Web of Science (Science and Social Science Citation Index), and Scopus databases. We evaluated two groups of outcomes: intraoperative (operative time, intraoperative complications rate, estimated blood loss (EBL), transfusion rate, conversion to open surgery rate) and postoperative (overall postoperative complications rate, major postoperative complications rate, length of hospital stay). RevMan (Computer program) Version 5.4 was used to perform the meta-analysis. The heterogeneity of the included studies in the meta-analysis was assessed by using the I2 statist., Results: The 8 included comparative studies (1,646 patients: 995 non-obese versus 651 obese) had a time frame of approximately 30 years (1994-2020) and an observational nature. Meta-analysis showed no differences in terms of operative time, intraoperative complications rate, EBL, transfusion rate, conversion to open surgery rate, overall postoperative complications rate, major (Clavien-Dindo ≥ III) postoperative complications rate, length of hospital stay between non-obese and obese populations., Conclusions: We can say that obesity does not impact TLA safety and effectiveness. Due to biases among meta-analyzed studies (small overall sample size and small number of events analyzed, in particular), careful interpretation is needed to interpret our results. Additional randomized, possibly multi-center trials may contribute to confirm our results.

Background: Surgical resection for pheochromocytoma (PCC) is still challenging. This study assessed the perioperative outcomes of adrenalectomy for PCC and investigated the risk factors for intraoperative hemodynamic instability (HI)., Methods: This retrospective study included 571 patients with adrenal tumors who underwent adrenalectomy at Kobe University Hospital and other related hospitals between April 2008 and October 2023. The perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic adrenalectomy were compared between PCC (n = 92) and non-PCC (n = 464) groups. In addition, we investigated several potential risk factors for intraoperative HI in patients with PCC (n = 107; open, n = 11; laparoscopic, n = 92; robot-assisted, n = 4)., Results: While patients with PCC had a significantly larger amount of blood loss in comparison to those with non-PCC (mean, 70 and 30 mL, respectively; p = 0.004), no significant difference was observed in the rate of perioperative grade ≥III complications (1.1% vs. 0.6%; p = 0.516), and no perioperative mortality was observed in either group. A tumor size of ≥40 mm, with preoperative hypertension and urinary metanephrines at a level ≥3 times the upper limit of the normal value, were found to be significant predictors of HI, with odds ratios of 2.74 (p = 0.025), 3.91 (p = 0.005), and 3.83 (p = 0.004), respectively., Conclusions: Our data suggest that laparoscopic adrenalectomy for PCC may be as safe as that for other types of adrenal tumors and that large tumors and hormonally active disease may be risk factors for intraoperative HI. The optimal perioperative management for PCC with these risk factors should be established., (© 2024 The Japanese Urological Association.)

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the application value of hyperrealistic rendering (HRR) in laparoscopic giant adrenal tumor resection., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 25 patients with giant adrenal tumors from January 2021 to January 2024, with a median age of 56 (40.5, 58.5) years and a tumor median diameter of 7.20 (6.80, 8.50) cm. All patients underwent preoperative medical HRR based on enhanced computed tomography, followed by laparoscopic adrenal tumor resection., Results: HRR was used to initially determine the nature of the tumor and develop a detailed surgical plan, which was completed in 25 patients preoperatively. All 24 cases of tumors were located in the adrenal gland, 1 case was located in the retroperitoneum, and 13 and 12 cases were on the left and right side, respectively. Preoperative HRR 3D imaging was consistent with the intraoperative situation, and 25 cases had successful surgeries. The median operation time was 165 (120.0, 250.0) min, and median bleeding and blood transfusion volume were 200 (150.0, 450.0) and 200.0 (150.0, 450.0) mL, respectively. There were no collateral injuries to important organs and major vessels and no cases of conversion to open surgery., Conclusion: For large retroperitoneal adrenal tumors, HRR for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction imaging enables the operator to fully understand the relationship between the tumor and surrounding organs and blood vessels preoperatively, which can reduce intraoperative bleeding and collateral injuries, improve the success rate of laparoscopic resection, and safety of the operation., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background: Radical antegrade modular pancreato-splenectomy (RAMPS) has been largely described in left-sided pancreatic cancers.1.J Hepato-Biliary-Pancreat Sci 29:1156-1165 Its prognostic advantage is not clear, although a theoretical improvement in R0 resection rate has been shown.2.J Am Coll Surg 204:244-249 Furthermore, RAMPS is usually carried out without adrenal gland removal, the so-called anterior RAMPS, while extending the resection to the adrenal plane could impair perioperative outcomes.3.HPB 25:311-319 METHODS: A 40 mm pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) was found in a 70-year-old patient. Tumor infiltrates the adrenal gland and a robotic posterior RAMPS was indicated., Results: After sectioning the splenic vessels and the pancreatic neck, the dissection was directed vertically in a sagittal plane along the left border of the superior mesenteric artery to identify the left renal vein. Our dissection plane was then directed on a caudo-cranial axis, after identification of the left renal artery and below the adrenal gland. The resection was also delimitated medially by the left borders of the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta, and posteriorly by the renal parenchyma. Postoperative course was marked by a biochemical leak. The patient was discharged on postoperative day (POD) 5 and the drain removed at POD 18. Pathological examination confirmed a pT2N2 PDAC with negative margins, with 4/18 positive nodes., Conclusions: The robotic platform is routinely employed in pancreatic surgery. Thanks to its increased degree of movement, its dexterity, and the magnification, this approach can help surgeons with vascular identification and control, in performing extended lymphadenectomies, and finding the correct planes of dissection. All these elements are crucial in a well-performed posterior RAMPS., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

The authors report a case of primary aldosteronism (PA) with postoperative elevation of aldosterone treated effectively by finerenone. The patient was a hypertensive man with a 30-year history of hypertension and sustained an acute myocardial infarction 5 years ago. Bilateral adrenal nodules with hyperplasia were detected and PA was confirmed. His blood potassium, direct renin concentration, and aldosterone level returned to normal after surgery of right adrenalectomy. However, 1 year after surgery, he experienced a decrease in blood potassium and an increase in aldosterone. A saline infusion test revealed an aldosterone level of 124.47 pg/mL. The patient consented to treatment with finerenone. His aldosterone and potassium levels and blood pressure have been controlled well during follow-up. This case highlights the need to screen for secondary hypertension as early as possible. Finerenone may be effective for patients with PA who are not candidates for surgery and those not relieved after surgery., (© 2024 The Author(s). The Journal of Clinical Hypertension published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: To compare the efficacy (including blood pressure, medication reduction, serum potassium, and clinical success) and safety parameters (including operative time, length of hospital stay, blood loss, hypertension crisis rate, and complication rate) of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) in the treatment of primary aldosteronism (PA)., Methods: Literature search was performed on PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library (Issue 8, 2023), Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang from inception to August 2023. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were performed by two independent reviewers. Quality assessment was conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The Stata 12.0 software was used for statistical analyses. Pooled odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for categorical outcomes, while mean difference (MD) with corresponding 95% CI were calculated for continuous outcomes., Results: A total of 5 studies involving 204 patients (LA, n = 127; and RAF, n = 77) were included. LA had better diastolic blood pressure control than RFA (WMD = 5.19; 95% CI 0.96-9.43); however, the RFA demonstrated better shorter operative time (WMD = - 57.99; 95% CI - 116.54 to 0.57), and shorter length of hospital stay (OR - 1.6; 95% CI - 2.37 to - 0.83) compared to LA. All remaining parameters were comparable between the interventions., Conclusion: While grossly comparable in efficacy as treatment options for PA, RFA may allow for shorter operative time and hospital stay, less intraoperative blood loss, and lower hospitalization costs. However, LA has better diastolic blood pressure control. Even so, we still need larger prospective studies, specifically with comparative hypertension response (short and long term) and number of post-procedural antihypertensive medication requirement., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Despite carrying an excess risk of cardiovascular events, primary aldosteronism (PA) is a commonly overlooked secondary form of arterial hypertension. An increased awareness of its high prevalence and broader screening strategies are urgently needed to improve its detection rate and allow early diagnosis and targeted treatment. For patients with unilateral PA, these measures can correct hyperaldosteronism and ensure cure of hypertension, even when resistant to drug treatment, thus preventing adverse cardiovascular events. Among these, atrial fibrillation is the most common, but left ventricular hypertrophy, stroke, chronic kidney disease, and myocardial infarction also occur more often than in patients with hypertension and no PA. Young patients, who have higher chances of being cured long term, and high-risk patients, such as those with stage III or resistant hypertension, are those who will benefit most from an early diagnosis of PA. Therefore, the implementation of strategies to detect PA by a simplified diagnostic algorithm is necessary. In the patients who seek for surgical cure, adrenal vein sampling is key for the identification of unilateral PA and the achievement of optimal outcomes. Unfortunately, being technically demanding and poorly available, adrenal vein sampling represents the bottleneck in the workup of PA. Considering the novel knowledge generated in the past 5 years in many studies, particularly in the AVIS-2 study (Adrenal Vein Sampling International Study-2), based on 4 decades of experience at our center and on the last guidelines, we herein provide an update on the management of PA with recommendations for drug treatment and strategies to avoid adrenal vein sampling wherever it is poorly, or not, available., Competing Interests: None.

Background: Adrenal hemangiomas are extremely rare benign tumors that often need to be distinguished from malignancies. Adrenal tumors >4 cm in size are treated surgically because the possibility of malignancy cannot be ruled out. Traditionally, open surgery has been the mainstay of treatment; however, in recent years, robot-assisted surgery has been increasingly used for tumors of larger size and suspected malignancy. Here, we report a case of robot-assisted adrenalectomy for an 11 cm adrenal hemangioma., Case Report: A 62-year-old male with lateral abdominal pain was referred to our hospital for further examination and treatment. His medical history was significant for hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Computed tomography revealed an 11 cm left adrenal tumor, and all endocrinological screening tests were negative. Because the possibility of malignancy could not be ruled out, a robot-assisted adrenalectomy was performed. The operation time was 129 min, and the estimated blood loss was 7 ml. Pathological findings revealed an adrenal hemangioma. The postoperative course was uneventful, and patient's condition subsequently improved postoperatively., Conclusion: Robot-assisted adrenalectomy was performed for a giant adrenal hemangioma without any complications. Robotic surgery is useful for resecting adrenal hemangiomas even exceeding 11 cm in diameter., (Copyright © 2024, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

The first-line treatment for Cushing's disease is transsphenoidal adenomectomy, which can be curative in a significant number of patients. The second-line options in cases of failed primary pituitary surgery include repeat surgery, medical therapy, and radiation. The role for medical therapy has expanded in the last decade, and options include pituitary-targeting drugs, steroid synthesis inhibitors, and glucocorticoid receptor antagonists. Bilateral adrenalectomy is a more aggressive approach, which may be necessary in cases of persistent hypercortisolism despite surgery, medical treatment, or radiation or when rapid normalization of cortisol is needed. We review the available treatment options for Cushing's disease, focusing on the second-line treatment options to consider after failed primary pituitary surgery., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Endocrinology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Hereditary pheochromocytoma (hPCC) commonly develops bilaterally, causing adrenal insufficiency when standard treatment, radical adrenalectomy (RA), is performed. Partial adrenalectomy (PA) aims to preserve adrenal function, but with higher recurrence rates. This study compares outcomes of PA versus RA in hPCC., Methods: Patients with hPCC due to pathogenic variants in RET, VHL, NF1, MAX, and TMEM127 from 12 European centers (1974-2023) were studied retrospectively. Stratified analysis based on surgery type and initial presentation was conducted. The main outcomes included recurrence, adrenal insufficiency, metastasis, and mortality., Results: The study included 256 patients (223 RA, 33 PA). Ipsilateral recurrence rates were 9/223 (4%) after RA versus 5/33 (15%) after PA (P = 0.02). Metastasis and mortality did not differ between groups. Overall, 103 patients (40%) underwent bilateral adrenalectomy either synchronously or metachronously (75 RA, 28 PA). Of these, 46% developed adrenal insufficiency after PA.In total, 191 patients presented with initial unilateral disease, of whom 50 (26%) developed metachronous contralateral disease, most commonly in RET, VHL, and MAX. In patients with metachronous bilateral disease, adrenal insufficiency developed in 3/4 (75%) when PA was performed as the first operation followed by RA, compared to 1/7 (14%) when PA was performed as the second operation after prior RA (P = 0.09)., Conclusion: In patients with hPCC undergoing PA, local recurrence rates are higher than after RA, but metastasis and disease-specific mortality are similar. Therefore, PA seems a safe method to preserve adrenal function in patients with hPCC, in cases of both synchronous and metachronous bilateral disease, when performed as a second operation., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Endocrinology.)