Minimally invasive techniques in benign and malignant adrenal tumors

Table 1 Comparison of key features of different approaches for adrenal surgery

Therapeutic approach	Advantages	Disadvantages
Laparoscopic transabdominal approach	Familiarity for surgeons, larger working space, suitable for larger lesions	Repositioning for bilateral surgery, learning curve
Retroperitoneoscopic approach	Less pain and time, fewer adhesion-related problems	Inability to fully explore abdomen
Transabdominal robotic adrenalectomy	Improved vision, articulating instruments, and surgeon’s comfort	Cost, learning curve
Single-port adrenalectomy	Better cosmesis, less pain, faster recovery	Special instruments
Open adrenalectomy	Vascular/organ invasion, large malignant tumors	Postoperative pain, longer recovery, large wound with risk of infection
Ablative therapies	Better for poor surgical candidates	Hypertensive crisis, lack of evidence