New issues in surgery of adrenal pheochromocytoma
Petrolo, A.; Borrelli, A.; Presenti, L.; Valeri, A.; Borrelli, D.
Il Giornale di Chirurgia 20(1-2): 57-62
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 0391-9005 PMID: 10097459 Document Number: 509878
The adrenal pheochromocytoma still arouses great interest among the experts. The Authors give here a report of a study carried out on the personal case history of 32 patients and the concerning literature. A correct clinical and diagnostic approach is important to detect, at a preoperative level, the benign forms from the malignant ones (10-15% of cases according to literature) and the polyendocrine syndromes (21% of our series). Video-laparoscopy technique is recommended in pheochromocytomas surgery, mainly in asymptomatic and incidental forms and in all benign symptomatic forms less than 5 cm in size. At least, uni- or bilateral adrenalectomy associated with total thyroidectomy is also suggested in case of a polyendocrine syndrome.