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Review
. 2024 Jan 7;16(1):e51807.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.51807. eCollection 2024 Jan.

The Surgical Treatment of Carotid Body Tumor as Well as the Prevention and Management of Complications

Yasin Kilic  1 , Izatullah Jalalzai  1 , Ebubekir Sönmez  1 , Bilgehan Erkut  1 , Mansoor Jalalzai  2
Affiliations
Review

The Surgical Treatment of Carotid Body Tumor as Well as the Prevention and Management of Complications

Yasin Kilic et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The carotid body tumor (CBT) is a rare paraganglioma neoplasm that often occurs in the head and neck anatomical region. Carotid angiography continues to be widely regarded as the preferred diagnostic method for this particular malignancy. Surgical intervention has been widely acknowledged as the primary approach for managing CBTs. However, the resection of CBTs poses significant technical challenges due to its specific anatomical position. To mitigate the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative challenges, we have conducted a comprehensive review of both domestic and international literature to consolidate the surgical approach and strategies for preventing and managing complications associated with this particular tumor.

Keywords: carotid body tumor; carotid doppler; complications’; surgical treatment; vascular mass.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Radiologic diagnosis
A) Angiographic view of CBT localized in carotid artery bifurcation; Rutherford's Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, 9th Edition, chapter 95. B) CT angiographic view of bilateral CBT (red arrows). Image Credits: Yasin kılıç; C) The salt and pepper appearance of CBT on MRI (blue arrow). Image credits: Izatullah Jalalzai. CBT, carotid body tumor; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; CT, computed tomography
Figure 2
Figure 2. CBT Shamblin classification
A) Shamblin classification of CBT; Rutherford's Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, 9th Edition, chapter 95. B) Surgical incision for CBT; Rutherford's Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, 9th Edition, chapter 95. CBT, carotid body tumor
Figure 3
Figure 3. Intraoperative interpretation
A) For tumors that involve the carotid artery bifurcation like Shamblin type III, the bifurcation and possibly the internal carotid artery must be removed from the tumor. A carotid shunt may be required during the reconstruction. The internal carotid artery can be re-vascularized with a prosthetic or autologous vein interposition graft (B); Rutherford's Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, 9th Edition, chapter 95. B) Shamblin type III CBT surrounding both internal and external carotid artery 360°. Image credits: Bilgehan Erkut CBT, carotid body tumor
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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