title: Combined endovascular and surgical treatment of carotid body tumor in a patient with thoracic situs solitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chemodectomas of the head and neck are tumors that originate from the neural crest. The authors report a case of carotid body tumor with chronic hypoxia secondary to congenital cyanogenic cardiac malformation, radiologically and surgically treated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 37-year-old woman presented 1-year history of a slow-growing right lateral-cervical swelling. Radiologic examination led to a suspicion of carotid body tumor. Her history revealed thoracic situs solitus and a complex congenital heart disease. She was hospitalized for a selective angiography of the cervical vessels. Twenty-four hours later, the tumor was completely removed under local anesthesia. One year later, there were no signs of recurrence, and the patient showed a correct hemodynamic compensation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The choice of surgical resection with selective preoperative embolization, which induced the obliteration of the feeder vessels, devascularizing the tumor and avoiding significant intraoperative bleeding, was successful.
authors.affiliation: First ENT Section, Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pecorari
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roccia
authors.forename: Juri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nadalin
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garzaro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002345:Carotid Body Tumor / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011859:Radiography; D012857:Situs Inversus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome