title: Surgical treatment of carotid body tumours.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate our results of the treatment of patients with carotid body tumours.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University hospital, Greece.
  
  
  METHODS
  17 patients operated on for a carotid body tumour during the past 20 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospital mortality and morbidity, long-term outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  3 patients had temporary cranial nerve lesions postoperatively, all of which resolved within three months. One patient developed a severe stroke and died seven days postoperatively. During follow-up that ranged from 7 months to 20 years, two patients died of unrelated causes. 5 patients were lost to follow up, and the remaining 10 were doing well with no signs of recurrence at the time of writing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Excision of a carotid body tumour is recommended at the time of initial diagnosis in good-risk patients to avoid the difficulty of subsequent excision of an enlarging and highly vascular tumour with possible encasement of the carotid artery.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, University of Athens Medical School, Laikon General Hospital, Greece.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bastounis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maltezos
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pikoulis
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Leppäniemi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Klonaris
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papalambros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002345:Carotid Body Tumor / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome