What is adrenal? What is adrenal tumor?
The adrenal gland is situated above the left and right kidneys. Its function is to secrete the body’s hormones.
Adrenal tumors can initially be divided into functional and non-functional. Functional adrenal tumors will secrete excessive amounts of hormones. This will induce a variety of symptoms such as change in appearance, electrolyte imbalance, increased blood pressure etc; non-functional adrenal tumors are mostly discovered by accident whilst conducting other examinations.
Adrenal tumors are treated mainly by surgery- both the traditional open surgery and the newer, laparoscopic surgery. Some of the benign tumors can also be first treated with drugs.
When is surgery required?
- Functional adrenal tumor. Adrenal tumors induce hormonal abnormalities that lead to all kinds of different symptoms, such as: obesity, electrolyte imbalance, high blood pressure
- Non-functional adrenal tumors with signs of becoming larger or uncertain that it is benign
- Malignant adrenal tumors that can be surgically removed
Advantages of early surgery
- Clinically, a majority of benign functional adrenal tumors can be removed by surgery, leading to a full recovery and normal appearance. It is also unnecessary to take any drugs to lower the blood pressure after the operation.
- Adrenal tumors can be surgically removed after tests ruled out the possibility of malignancy
- Malignant adrenal tumors can also be surgically removed and diagnosed in their early stages
Types of surgery to remove adrenal tumors
- Conventional open adrenalectomy: Incision made by down the side or above the abdomen, with an incision length of about 15 to 20 centimeters
- Laparoscopic adrenalectomy: As the adrenal gland is located deep in the body and that the tumors are normally small, the advantages of endoscopic surgery can be fully realized: reaches deep into the body and enlarges images taken, assist the operation, smaller wounds, these are all priorities when removing the adrenal tumor. But if the tumor is too large and sticks to the surrounding tissues, or the surgeon suspects there to be a malignancy possibility, then this procedure should not be used.
Preparations before the surgery
:
Fast for 6 hours
Post-surgery care:
Depending on the condition, a two to three-day hospital stay may be necessary after the surgery
Possible side effects and complications of the surgery:
- Fever
- Post-surgery bleeding
- Incisional hernia
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Long-term hormone treatment needed after receiving bilateral adrenalectomy
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