Carotid body tumor resection utilizing a covered stent graft to enable resection of the tumor en bloc with the internal carotid artery

Abstract

Surgical excision is the primary treatment for carotid body tumors (CBT) and infrequently involves carotid vessels reconstruction. A CBT that extends distally to the level of the skull base makes surgical reconstruction very challenging. We report a case of a 30-year-old man who presented with a CBT (Shamblin III) extending to the base of the skull. A covered stent graft was placed in the internal carotid artery. Subsequently, a successful resection of the tumor with the arterial wall en bloc was performed, leaving the stent graft exposed as a bridge between the two ends of ICA.