Diagnosis and surgical treatment of carotid body tumor:A single clinical center experience

Objective To summarize the experiences of diagnosis and therapy of carotid body tumor(CBT) cases from a single center through a retrospective analysis.Methods The clinical information of 17 CBT cases was retrospectively analyzed.Among the 17 cases,7 were male and 10 females.The average age was 39(25 to 65) years.Results All lesions were unilateral.By Shamblin classification,2 cases were Type Ⅰ,8 were Type Ⅱ,and 7 were Type Ⅲ.Preoperative evaluations included Doppler ultrasound,computed tomography(CT),magnetic resonance angiography(MRA) and digital subtraction angiography(DSA).Sixteen cases underwent surgeries and the lesions were pathologically confirmed benign.The surgeries included total tumor removal with or without external carotid artery resection,tumor removal with carotid artery resection and reconstruction,or with carotid artery ligation,and combined approach of cranial base involved cases.After 43(9~108) months follow-up,6 cases had unilateral palsy of recurrent laryngeal nerve(37.5%),1 case had unilateral facial palsy(6.25%),2 cases had unilateral palsy of hypoglossal nerve(12.5%),1 case had bleeding(6.25%).No stroke and death happened.Conclusion DSA is a way to confirm diagnosis as well as evaluate the tumor extension.Several techniques are essential for operations and prevention of complications,such as dissection with bipolar coagulation,temporary arterial occlusion,shunt and reconstruction.