ABSTRACT Purpose: To investigate risk factors for complications in patients undergoing adrenalectomy. Materials and Methods: A retrospective search of our institutional database was performed of patients who underwent adrenalectomy, between 2014 and 2018. Clinical parameters and adrenal disorder characteristics were assessed and correlated to intra and post-operative course. Complications were analyzed within 30-days after surgery. A logistic regression was performed in order to identify independent predictors of morbidity in patients after adrenalectomy. Results: The files of 154 patients were reviewed. Median age and Body Mass Index (BMI) were 52-years and 27.8kg/m2, respectively. Mean tumor size was 4.9±4cm. Median surgery duration and estimated blood loss were 140min and 50mL, respectively. There were six conversions to open surgery. Minor and major post-operative complications occurred in 17.5% and 8.4% of the patients. Intra-operative complications occurred in 26.6% of the patients. Four patients died. Mean hospitalization duration was 4-days (Interquartile Range: 3-8). Patients age (p=0.004), comorbidities (p=0.003) and pathological diagnosis (p=0.003) were independent predictors of post-operative complications. Tumor size (p<0.001) and BMI (p=0.009) were independent predictors of intra-operative complications. Pathological diagnosis (p<0.001) and Charlson score (p=0.013) were independent predictors of death. Conclusion: Diligent care is needed with older patients, with multiple comorbidities and harboring unfavorable adrenal disorders (adrenocortical carcinoma and pheocromocytoma), who have greater risk of post-operative complications. Patients with elevated BMI and larger tumors have higher risk of intra, but not of post-operative complications.

Em razão da curta duração de seu ciclo estral, ratas constituem bom modelo para o estudo das alterações que ocorrem durante o ciclo reprodutivo. O ciclo estral de ratas tem duração média de quatro ou cinco dias e é caracterizado por quatro fases, proestro, estro, metaestro e diestro, as quais podem ser determinadas pelos tipos celulares observados no esfregaço vaginal. Como a coleta da secreção vaginal e o uso de material corado geralmente são demorados, o objetivo deste trabalho foi fornecer aos pesquisadores algumas considerações úteis para a determinação das fases do ciclo estral de maneira rápida e prática. A secreção vaginal de trinta ratas foi coletada diariamente pela manhã, durante um mês, e o lavado vaginal não corado foi observado a fresco, em microscópio ótico, sem a utilização das lentes do condensador. O uso das objetivas de aumento de 10 vezes facilita a análise da proporção entre os três tipos celulares presentes no material. O uso das objetivas de aumento de 40 vezes permite o reconhecimento de cada um dos tipos celulares. Descrevemos o método utilizado, no qual a coleta do lavado vaginal, a observação do material e a identificação das fases do ciclo estral de 30 ratas podem ser realizados em 15-20 minutos.

The short length of the estrous cycle of rats makes them ideal for investigation of changes occurring during the reproductive cycle. The estrous cycle lasts four days and is characterized as: proestrus, estrus, metestrus and diestrus, which may be determined according to the cell types observed in the vaginal smear. Since the collection of vaginal secretion and the use of stained material generally takes some time, the aim of the present work was to provide researchers with some helpful considerations about the determination of the rat estrous cycle phases in a fast and practical way. Vaginal secretion of thirty female rats was collected every morning during a month and unstained native material was observed using the microscope without the aid of the condenser lens. Using the 10 x objective lens, it was easier to analyze the proportion among the three cellular types, which are present in the vaginal smear. Using the 40 x objective lens, it is easier to recognize each one of these cellular types. The collection of vaginal lavage from the animals, the observation of the material, in the microscope, and the determination of the estrous cycle phase of all the thirty female rats took 15-20 minutes.