Clinical characteristics during the perioperative period of pheochromocytomas in the elderly

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics during the perioperative period of pheochromocytoma in patients aged 60 years and over. Methods Data of age, sex, tumor size, anesthesia time, intraoperative bleeding volume, intraoperative blood pressure, complications and hospitalization time from patients with pheochromocytoma in our hospital treated by the retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy from January 2008 to October 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.The relationships of age with the intraoperative hemodynamic instability and postoperative complications were analyzed. Results A total of 203 patients with pheochromocytoma met the inclusion criteria were enrolled.Age over 60 years(OR1.771, 95%CI=1.015-3.089, P=0.044)was an independent risk factor for intraoperative hemodynamic instability. Conclusions Laparoscopic retroperitoneal adrenalectomy is a safe surgical method for pheochromocytoma patients aged 60 years and over.For elderly patients with pheochromocytoma, especially those with a tumor diameter of more than 5 cm, special attention should be paid to the prevention of intraoperative hypertension crisis. Key words: Pheochromocytoma; Perioperative period