Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for adrenal tumors: A 21-year single-institution experience

We have performed laparoscopic adrenalectomy including retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy via a single large port (RASLP) and conventional laparoscopic adrenalectomy (CLA) for adrenal tumors since 1992, and report our experience to date. The study population consisted of 134 patients who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy from 1992 to 2012. Fifty-eight patients (18 aldosterone-producing adenomas, 13 adenomas with Cushings syndrome, 1 adenoma with preclinical Cushings syndrome, and 26 nonfunctioning tumors) were treated using RASLP, and 76 patients (33 aldosterone-producing adenomas, 17 adenomas with Cushings syndrome, 6 adenomas with preclinical Cushings syndrome, 17 pheochromocytomas, and 3 nonfunctioning tumors) were treated using CLA. Complications were graded according to the modified Clavien system. The majority of RASLPs were performed during the 1990s, whereas all patients underwent CLA after 2000. The mean operation times (166 vs. 205 minutes, p < 0.01) and intraoperative estimated blood loss (85 vs. 247 mL, p < 0.01) were significantly lower in the CLA group. Conversion to open surgery was required in three patients (5%) in the RASLP group and five patients (7%) in the CLA group (p = 0.73). Postoperative complications were grade 1 in three patients and grades 4 and 5 in one patient each in the RASLP group, whereas grade 2 in one patient was observed in the CLA group (p = 0.085). Although this study included biases such as different eras and indications, CLA resulted in decreased operative times, blood loss, and postoperative complications compared with RASLP. CLA has so far become our preferred procedure for patients with adrenal tumor in our experience

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for adrenal tumors: A 21-year single-institution experience

Objective: We have performed laparoscopic adrenalectomy including retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy via a single large port (RASLP) and conventional laparoscopic adrenalectomy (CLA) for adrenal tumors since 1992, and report our experience to date. Methods: The study population consisted of 134 patients who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy from 1992 to 2012. Fifty-eight patients (18 aldosterone-producing adenomas, 13 adenomas with Cushing's syndrome, 1 adenoma with preclinical Cushing's syndrome, and 26 nonfunctioning tumors) were treated using RASLP, and 76 patients (33 aldosterone-producing adenomas, 17 adenomas with Cushing's syndrome, 6 adenomas with preclinical Cushing's syndrome, 17 pheochromocytomas, and 3 nonfunctioning tumors) were treated using CLA. Complications were graded according to the modified Clavien system. Results: The majority of RASLPs were performed during the 1990s, whereas all patients underwent CLA after 2000. The mean operation times (166 vs. 205 minutes, p < 0.01) and intraoperative estimated blood loss (85 vs. 247 mL, p < 0.01) were significantly lower in the CLA group. Conversion to open surgery was required in three patients (5%) in the RASLP group and five patients (7%) in the CLA group (p = 0.73). Postoperative complications were grade 1 in three patients and grades 4 and 5 in one patient each in the RASLP group, whereas grade 2 in one patient was observed in the CLA group (p = 0.085). Conclusion: Although this study included biases such as different eras and indications, CLA resulted in decreased operative times, blood loss, and postoperative complications compared with RASLP. CLA has so far become our preferred procedure for patients with adrenal tumor in our experience

Development of a mobile laboratory system in hydrogen fuel cell buses and evaluation of the performance for COVID-19 RT-PCR testing

Abstract We designed and developed two new types of hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) buses (motorcoach and minibus) with a mobile laboratory system. Feasibility studies have been performed for mobile laboratory testing, particularly for the laboratory performance of COVID-19 RT-PCR (PCR). We evaluated the driving range capability, PCR sample size capacity, turnaround time (TAT), and analytical performance for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Saliva samples were used for the current study, and the analytical performance was compared with that of the reference PCR. The estimated driving range and sample size capacity of the HFC and HFC minibus were 432 km and 2847 samples, respectively, for the HFC motorcoach and 313 km and 1949 samples for the HFC minibus. For the TAT, the median time between sample submission and completion of PCR was 86 min for the motorcoach and 76 min for the minibus, and the median time between sample submission and electronic reporting of the result to each visitor was 182 min for the motorcoach and 194 min for the minibus. A secondary analysis of 1574 HFC mobile laboratory testing samples was conducted, and all negative samples were found to be negative by reference PCR. Furthermore, all samples were confirmed to be positive by reference PCR or other molecular examinations