Laparoscopic resection of adrenal teratoma.

Background: Teratoma is a germ-cell tumor that commonly affects the gonads. Its components originate in the ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm. Extragonadal occurrence is rare. Teratomas confined to the adrenal gland are exceptional; only 3 cases have been reported in the English-language literature. We report 2 cases of mature teratomas of the adrenal gland that were laparoscopically excised.

Methods: Two patients (ages 8 and 61 years) were diagnosed with adrenal teratoma at our institution. Radiological examination showed a solid 8-cm adrenal lesion in both cases. Hormonal assessment was normal. Both patients underwent laparoscopic transperitoneal adrenalectomy.

Results: Surgical time was 120 minutes and 50 minutes, respectively. One patient was discharged on postoperative day 2, and the other remained hospitalized until day 10. The latter patient required percutaneous drainage of a retroperitoneal collection. Both tumors were identified as mature cystic teratomas. No evidence was present of recurring disease in either patient.

Conclusions: Adrenal teratoma is rare. Laparoscopic transperitoneal adrenalectomy is a feasible, effective technique that enables excellent oncologic results. To our knowledge, this is the first report of laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pure adrenal teratoma.