Adrenal
Surgery
The adrenals are endocrine glands which make hormones that circulate in the blood. The hormones control metabolism and responses of the body to stress and several other functions. The adrenal glands are normally under the control of the pituitary gland in the brain. A tumor in one of the glands can make a hormone in an uncontrolled fashion leading to symptoms of endocrine excess. For example this can be a curable cause of high blood pressure. Laparoscopic removal for disorders of one or both adrenal glands has become the standard by which surgical treatment is judged. Careful evaluation by an endocrinologist in consultation with the surgeon, blood and urine tests, followed by CT or MR imaging are usually necessary to make the diagnosis and determine which gland is affected. Four tiny incisions in the side of the abdomen, most no more than one quarter of an inch long, are made during the surgery. Hospitalization is usually one night and return to normal activity takes about a week.
Physicians who perform this surgery:
- H. Leon Pachter, M.D.
