Factors associated with patient satisfaction in laparoscopic adrenalectomy

Abstract

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy a treatment that is recommended for patients with adrenal adenoma and has been shown to lead to a 94% biochemical remission rate of aldosterone as well as improvements to quality of life in five domains of the SF-36. This method is also associated with high rates of patient satisfaction. However, there is little information available on the factors associated with patient satisfaction in cases of laparoscopic adrenalectomy. This study aimed to evaluate these factors in patients with Conn's syndrome who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy. This study was based on a survey and was conducted at Srinagarind Hospital at the Khon Kaen University Faculty of Medicine in Thailand. The inclusion criteria were that patients were between 15 and 60 years of age, had been diagnosed with adrenal gland tumors, and had undergone trnasperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy. All eligible patients were asked to fill out a self-report questionnaire in which they rated their satisfaction (out of 10) and factors associated with their level of satisfaction in the areas of clinical treatment and scarring. There were 44 patients who participated in the study. The average (SD) age of all patients was 47.10 (10.90) years. The average overall satisfaction scores for the surgery and with regard to scarring post surgery were 9.47 (1.15) and 8.11 (2.21), respectively. Only the presence of headaches was an independent factor associated with the overall satisfaction, with a coefficient of -0.29 (p value 0.001). Only age was significantly predictive of overall satisfaction with regard to scarring with a coefficient of 0.05 and p value of 0.046. In conclusion, the presence of headaches was related to overall satisfaction and age was associated with satisfaction with regard to scarring in patients Conn's syndrome who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy.