The Department of Paediatric Surgery at Gandhi Hospital Secunderabad has achieved a milestone by performing a Laparoscopic Bilateral Adrenalectomy (removing both adrenal glands) on an 11-year-old female child suffering from a rare childhood tumour.
The patient, Sandhya, hailing from Nanded in Maharashtra, presented with symptoms including uncontrolled hypertension, headache, giddiness, sweating, and vomiting. A CT scan revealed a diagnosis of Bilateral Adrenal Pheochromocytoma. Pheochromocytoma, a rare childhood tumour originating from the adrenal medulla, has an incidence of approximately one in five lakh children. “About 10% of cases are familial, with bilateral occurrences in children under 10 years. Hypertension persists in 70% to 90% of children with pheochromocytoma. Several family members of the patient had similar diagnosis,” said Dr. K. Nagarjuna, Professor and HOD, Paediatric Surgery.
The case posed significant challenges due to its bilateral nature, the child’s sustained hypertension, and the technical intricacies of performing laparoscopic bilateral adrenalectomy, particularly in handling the right adrenal vein. However, the surgical team successfully excised the tumours laparoscopically, maintaining the patient’s blood pressure within the normal range throughout and after the procedure.
