Re: Adrenalectomy via Laparascopy? Any experience?
I knew this was an option, but it wasn't one we considered for Winston's adrenalectomy. I personally would be very nervous about attempting an experimental procedure for such an already inherently risky surgery. The paper does make things look promising and I'm interested to see where this goes in the future. It sounds like not many places are doing them laparoscopically and I would worry about a surgeon trying to 'change it up' and try a new technique. Maybe once it catches on and more people are doing them or if the surgeon had done a bunch that way I would feel differently. It sounds like some people are braver than me to have tried this already!
In Winston's case specifically, he needed a couple other procedures done (biopsies of his intestines and a small mass on his pancreas) and I don't think we could have done them laparoscopically. The surgeon told me his tumor was really adhered to his vena cava and she had to gently work to get it off...I wonder how that works with laparoscopy? Are the instruments they stick in the small incisions capable of such a delicate task? I assume so,but I don't know. Since I didn't do a CT scan before surgery, it was also really important that our surgeon be able to feel his vessels to make sure there wasn't a clot or chunk of tumor in the vena cava. It sounds like you'd absolutely have to have a CT scan to even see if a dog is a candidate for laparoscopy since only dogs without the tumor in the vena cava are candidates. Our surgeon also talked about the right adrenal gland being harder to access than the left because it was closer to the vena cava, pancreas, etc so I wonder if or how that plays into laparoscopy.
It could be an exciting development for sure and might be a good thing for people to discuss with their surgeon. Winston was definitely uncomfortable the first few days (his incision went from right at his sternum and all down his abdomen to his pubic bone essentially) and it sounds like laparoscopy could have been an easier recovery for him, though it probably wouldn't decrease the main life-threatening post-operative risks like pulmonary thromboemboli.
Kellie, dog-mom to Winston