Synchronous laparoscopic right sided adrenalectomy and cholecystectomy

Co-existence of cholelithiasis and adrenal tumours not infrequently necessi tates synchronous removal of the two organs. Since October 1997, over a two -year period, 25 laparoscopic adrenalectomies have been performed. In four cases (16%), a cholecystectomy was synchronously performed. Indications for the procedure included either a functional or a non-functional tumour of t he right adrenal gland and symptomatic cholelithiasis confirmed by ultrasou nd and CT scans of the abdominal cavity. Right adrenalectomy was performed using a transperitoneal lateral approach. For cholecystectomy the patient's was placed in a supine position and two trocars had to be replaced. With a dditional cholecystectomy, the procedure was approximately 75 minutes longe r, but that did not affect the patients' postoperative comfort. Synchronous excision of the right adrenal gland and of the gallbladder seems worth con sidering.