The association between the type of anesthesia and hemodynamic instability during pheochromocytoma surgery: a retrospective cohort study

Background Pheochromocytoma often carries a risk for perioperative hemodynamic instability (HDI). The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk factors of intraoperative HDI during minimally invasive posterior retroperitoneal adrenalectomy (PRA) for pheochromocytoma. Materials and methods This retrospective study analyzed the prospectively collected data of 172 patients who underwent laparoscopic PRA or robotic PRA for pheochromocytoma between January 2014 and December 2020 at a single tertiary center. The patients were divided into two groups according to the intraoperative hypertensive event of systolic blood pressure (> 160 mmHg). The clinical manifestations and perioperative hemodynamic conditions were analysed. Results In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the tumor size (> 3.4 cm) [OR 3.14, 95% confidence intervals (CI) (1.48–6.64), p = 0.003], type of preoperative alpha-blocker (selective type) [OR 3.9, 95% CI (1.52–10.02), p = 0.005], preoperative use of beta-blockers [OR 3.94, 95% CI (1.07–14.49), p = 0.039] and type of anesthesia [total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) vs. balanced anesthesia (BA)] [OR 2.57, 95% CI (1.23–5.38), p = 0.012] were determined as independent risk factors of intraoperative hypertensive events during minimally invasive adrenalectomy. Conclusions The type of anesthesia was independently associated with intraoperative HDI along with larger tumor size, type of preoperative alpha-blocker and the use of preoperative beta-blockers. TIVA increased the risk of intraoperative hypertensive events compared with BA. Thus, the consideration of the type of anesthesia prior to adrenal surgery for pheochromocytoma along with the use of preoperative non-selective alpha-blockers may be beneficial in minimizing the risk of intraoperative HDI.