A Case of Large Carotid Body Tumor: Surgical Challenge

Abstract

Carotid body tumors (CBTs) are rare benign tumors, but they do have a chance of turning into malignant tumors. Hence, the earliest mode of treatment is surgical resection. The high vascularity of the tumors poses a surgical and anesthetic challenge. Hereby, we present a successfully resected case of large CBT measuring 7 cm × 6 cm. In contrast-computed tomography angiogram of the neck, the hyperdense mass was noted in the left carotid space splaying the left internal carotid artery and external carotid artery. Conventional general anesthesia with controlled ventilation technique was used in the resection of this tumor. The final histopathology report was paraganglioma. She had an uneventful perioperative period and was doing well after 18 months of follow-up.

Keywords

• Carotid body tumor
• paraganglioma
• surgery