Purpose: To assess the incidence of difficulty in complete dissection between the right adrenal gland and the liver at the time of laparoscopic surgery for adrenal tumor and to elucidate its cause histopathologically.
Patients and methods: Thirty-six patients underwent laparoscopic right adrenalectomy between 2004 and 2011 at our institution. Two reviewers independently assessed difficulty in dissection for the 36 nonedited video records of laparoscopic right adrenalectomy in blinded fashion. Twenty-seven records were evaluable for the judgment of difficulty in dissection between the lower surface of the liver and the right adrenal gland. On the other hand, the gross and microscopic relationship between the right adrenal gland and the surface of the liver was investigated in 32 cadavers.
Results: Incomplete resection of the adrenal gland was found in 11 of 27 (40.7%) patients. Difficulties in dissection because of adhesions between the liver and the adrenal gland were apparently recognized in 5 of 27 (18.5%) patients. Pathologic assessment for cadavers revealed that capsules between these two organs are partially fused in 10 of 32 (31.3%) cases. Histopathologically, intermingling of parenchymal cells (infiltration through the fibrous capsules) was observed in nine (28.1%) cases.
Conclusions: The tight adhesion between the lower surface of the liver and the adrenal gland because of intermingling of parenchymal cells of both organs is a major cause of incomplete resection of right adrenalectomy. Surgeons have to keep this fact in mind during right adrenalectomy to avoid unnecessary adverse events.