Laparoscopic adrenalectomy: comparison between pneumoperitoneum and the use of a laparoscopic lift device in dog cadavers

ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the feasibility of abdominal liftfor laparoscopic adrenalectomy and compared it with the conventional laparoscopic technique using pneumoperitoneum with medicinal CO2 in dog cadavers. The total surgical time (TST), adrenalectomy time (AT), and gland integrity after removal were evaluated. Thirty-eight adrenalectomies were performed in 19 cadavers. Regardless of the antimere, the TST was significantly lower in the CO2 procedures than in the lift laparoscopy procedures (P=0.001). When comparing the techniques between antimeres, the TST was significantly higher on the left side with lift laparoscopy than with CO2 (P=0.015) and similar between the techniques on the right side of the animals (P=0.086). In the comparison of AT, regardless of the execution side, no differences were observed between the techniques (P=0.05). The same was observed when AT was evaluated separately using antimeres (P=0.902). Of the 38 adrenals evaluated, 92.1% were removed in a single block, and 32.29% had a superficial lesion in the capsule. There was no difference between the groups in the removal capacity in a single block (P=0.340) and capsule integrity (P=0.287). Abdominal lift for laparoscopic adrenalectomy is a feasible technique in dog cadavers; however, it requires a longer surgical time than the conventional technique. The traction force used to elevate the abdominal wall must be evaluated.