Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Feb 12;3(1):10.
doi: 10.1186/1477-7819-3-10.

Diagnosis and treatment of carotid body paraganglioma: 21 years of experience at a clinical center of Serbia

Lazar B Davidovic  1 , Vojko B Djukic, Dragan M Vasic, Radomir P Sindjelic, Stevo N Duvnjak
Affiliations

Diagnosis and treatment of carotid body paraganglioma: 21 years of experience at a clinical center of Serbia

Lazar B Davidovic et al. World J Surg Oncol. .

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The carotid body paraganglioma (chemodectoma) is a relatively rare neoplasm of obscure origin. These are usually benign and commonly present as asymptomatic cervical mass. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of 12 patients (9 female and 3 male) with carotid body tumors treated between 1982 and 2003, treated at our center were retrospectively reviewed. Data on classification, clinical presentation, and surgical treatment were extracted from the case records. Surgical complications and treatment outcome were noted and survival was calculated by actuarial method. The literature on carotid body paraganglioma was reviewed. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 52 years (range 30-78 years). Eight of these cases presented as a large asymptomatic non-tender neck mass, and two each presented with dysphagia, and hoarseness of voice. As per Shamblin classification seven of tumors were type II and 5 were types III. In 7 cases subadventitial tumor excision was performed, while in 5 associated resection of both external and internal carotid arteries was carried out. The artery was repaired by end-to-end anastomosis in one case, with Dacron graft in one case, and with saphenous vein graft in 3 cases. There was no operative mortality. After a mean follow-up of 6.2 years (range 6 months to 20 years), there were no signs of tumor recurrence in any of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical excision is the treatment of choice for carotid body paragangliomas although radiation therapy is an option for patients who are not ideal candidates for surgery. For the tumors that are in intimate contact with carotid arteries, the treatment by vascular surgeon is recommended.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Selective carotid angiography showed carotid body paraganglioma. The typical separation (''lyre sign") of external and internal carotid arteries, are presented.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Selective carotid angiography showed hypervascularization of the carotid body paraganglioma mostly from the external carotid artery.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sykes JM, Ossoff RH. Paragangliomas of the Head and Neck. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 1986;19:755–767. - PubMed
    1. Sobol SM, Dailey JC. Familial multiple cervical paragangliomas: report of a kindred and review of the literature. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1990;102:382–390. - PubMed
    1. Myers EN, Johnson JT. Neoplasms. In: Cummings, CW, Fredrickson JM, Harker LA, Krause CJ, Schuller DE, editor. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. St Louis; Mosby Year Book; 1993. pp. 1590–1597.
    1. Kyriakos M. Pathology of selected soft tissue tumors of the head and neck. In: Thawley SE, Panje WR, editor. Comprehensive Management of Head and Neck Tumors. Philadelphia PA. W.B. Saunders; 1987. pp. 1261–1264.
    1. Maves MD. Vascular tumors of the head and neck. In: Bailey BJ, Johnson JT, Kohut RI, Pillsbury HC, Tardy ME, editor. Head and Neck Surgery-Otolaryngology. Philadelphia JB Lippincott; 1993. pp. 1397–1409.