Adrenal glands are located just above the kidneys and have a delicate venous drainage. They are responsible for producing a number of important hormones-substances that circulate throughout the bloodstream and help regulate blood pressure, sugar level, salt production and other metabolic functions. These hormones include cortisol, aldosterone, epinephrine (adrenaline), and norepinephrine. An adrenal gland that develops a benign functional tumor (so-called because it affects the way the gland functions) and begins producing too much of any one hormone may require adrenalectomy in order to avoid long-term health problems. In other cases, it may be possible to treat the condition by performing a partial adrenalectomy, in which just the tumor is excised while the rest of the adrenal gland is left intact.
The entire adrenal gland is also removed if doctors diagnose or suspect a malignant tumor in the adrenal cortex (the outer part of the gland)-a rare condition known as adrenocortical carcinoma, adrenal cortex cancer, or simply adrenal cancer.
Robotics is especially useful in adrenal surgery for its visualization and aiding delicate dissection and control of multiple feeding blood vessels during adrenalectomy. This is in addition to the other advantages of robotic surgery including shorter recovery and return back to normalcy.