[Carotid body tumors. A 10-years experience in the management of the disease].
BACKGROUND
Carotid body tumours (CBT) are neoplasms that develop from paragangionic cells of this structure. They are rare, with an estimated incidence of 1:30000 and can be associated with other neuro-endocrine neoplasia. The authors report their experience in the management of the disease, in the last 10 years.


METHODS
Eight patients (with eight tumours) were treated, all submitted to tumour resection. 75% were female and the mean age was 56 years. We report a 12,5% incidence of neurological sequelae from surgery, and no mortality. In the follow-up (which varied between 1 and 10 years), no local or contralateral recurrence or metastasis were registered. Also, we did not found family cases of this disease.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors noticed an unusually high proportion of female patients. The tumour resection was curative in all patients, with a rate of neurological complications inferior to that reported in other published series. These neurological sequelae were reported in patients with large tumours, thus reinforcing the outmost importance of an early diagnosis. Pre-operative selective embolization of these tumours can be helpful in the resection of large tumours, allowing a potential reduction in neurological complications.
Valentim
Hugo
H
Serviço de Angiologia e Cirurgia Vascular do Hospital de Santa Marta, Lisboa.
Gonçalves
Frederico
F
Vasconcelos
Leonor
L
Garcia
Ana
A
Emilia Ferreira
M
M
Albuquerque E Castro
João
J
Mota Capitão
L
L
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002345:Carotid Body Tumor / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors