The Carling Adrenal Center: Dedicated Only to Adrenal Tumors and Adrenal Surgery
Dr. Tobias Carling of the Carling Adrenal Center
Dr. Carling left Yale University School of Medicine in early 2020 to found, direct and serve as Adrenal Surgeon-in-Chief of the Carling Adrenal Center in Tampa, Florida. The center is dedicated solely to the evaluation and surgical treatment of adrenal tumors and adrenal disease. Dr. Carling has performed thousands of adrenal operations over his career. Since January 2022, all of our operations have been performed at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery, where he has performed more than 2,400 adrenal operations in that time alone and now performs up to 750 a year: about one in eight adrenalectomies in the United States. About half of our patients come from outside Florida, including from around the world.
At the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery we work closely with two other high-volume programs in endocrine tumor surgery: the Norman Parathyroid Center and the Clayman Thyroid Center. Three teams that each focus on a single endocrine gland (thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal) work under one roof in Tampa, Florida, in a hospital built only for endocrine surgery.
We treat every type of adrenal tumor, including primary aldosteronism (Conn's syndrome), adrenal hypercortisolism (formerly called MACS or subclinical Cushing syndrome) and adrenal Cushing syndrome, pheochromocytoma, adrenal incidentaloma, adrenal cancer and adrenal metastasis.
Have Your Adrenal Surgery with Dr. Carling
Dr. Carling personally performs every adrenal operation at the Carling Adrenal Center. Our team takes great pride not only in knowledge and technical skill, but also in bedside manner, treating each patient as family.
We have an entire page that discusses how to travel to Tampa to have Dr. Carling perform your adrenal operation.
We are completely dedicated to patient care, science and education. From the day you call, email or contact us in any other way, you are part of our adrenal family. Adrenal disease is all we do, and there is very little we have not seen. As you will see as you read through these pages, Dr. Carling has published widely on adrenal tumors, primary aldosteronism, adrenal hypercortisolism and adrenal surgery for more than 20 years.
Dr. Carling performing a right Mini Back Scope Adrenalectomy (MBSA).
Most Adrenal Surgery is Performed by Surgeons Who Rarely Do It. In the United States, the typical surgeon who removes adrenal glands performs about one adrenal operation per year, and more than 80% of adrenalectomies are performed by low-volume surgeons. Studies show that outcomes are better when the surgeon performs adrenal surgery regularly. Dr. Carling performs adrenal surgery every operating day, up to 750 operations a year.
It is Almost Always Worthwhile to Travel to See Us
With rising insurance premiums, rising costs and difficult access to healthcare, we believe a center that does only adrenal surgery is a real advantage for patients. Experience makes adrenal surgery safer and more efficient, and often less expensive.
How is this possible? Complications from surgery are devastating to the patient and family, and they are also very expensive. Experience lowers the risk of complications, shortens the operation and the hospital stay, and reduces costs for patients and their payers. Yes, knowledge is power. We do not order needless lab tests or unnecessary, expensive scans that provide no useful information. We arrive at the correct diagnosis and treatment faster, without wasting time and money for the patient and everyone involved. We have seen your problem before, and we do not mess around.
What Makes Our Adrenal Operation Different?
Most surgeons perform adrenal surgery the same way they perform gallbladder or colon surgery: through the front of the abdomen. We rarely do this, because for most adrenal tumors it is not necessary and, in our view, not in your best interest. An operation through the front of the abdomen remains the right choice for known adrenal cancer, but the vast majority of adrenal tumors are not cancerous. We perform more than 95% of our operations as a Mini Back Scope Adrenalectomy (MBSA) through the lower back. Read more about this in the surgery section of this website.
We Understand the Problem. We have seen thousands of adrenal patients and have taken care of patients with virtually every adrenal problem. We aren't going to waste time trying to figure things out. We've been here before. This is what we do.
We Have the Experience. It has long been known that the best surgical outcomes are achieved by high-volume specialty surgeons. The most reliable way to achieve high initial and long-term success rates is to have a surgeon who has done the operation hundreds, if not thousands, of times.
Nobody is Learning on Your Adrenal Operation! Dr. Carling Personally Performs Every Operation. At many university and teaching hospitals, surgeons in training (residents and fellows) perform part or all of the operation. Training surgeons is important, but we understand that nobody travels a long distance to have a surgeon-in-training perform their operation. At the Carling Adrenal Center, Dr. Carling performs your entire operation himself.
Adrenal tumors and adrenal surgery can be tricky for those who do not see them often, but straightforward, safe and fast with an experienced surgeon and team. We believe you or your loved one should have a surgeon who performs adrenal surgery every day. In most patients, a Mini Back Scope Adrenalectomy (MBSA) is, in our experience, by far the best approach.
We have an entire page that discusses how to travel to Tampa to have Dr. Carling perform your adrenal operation.
What are some of the things you should know about adrenal gland surgery? Read more on our adrenal surgery blog
Last updated October 2026.