title: Bilateral neck paragangliomas.
abstract: Paragangliomas of the head and neck are rare neoplasms presented as cervical mass, generally bilateral, that arise from chemoreceptors located at the carotid bifurcation (carotid body tumors), along the vagus nerve (vagal paragangliomas), and in the jugular fossa and tympanic cavity (jugulotympanic paragangliomas). They are typically asymptomatic at the beginning, highly vascular, slow-growing and compressing the surrounding anatomic structures. Only radical surgery is the curative treatment for paragangliomas. We present a case of a 62- year-old woman with a diagnosis of bilateral neck paragangliomas where surgical removal was judged burdened by excessive risk because of the size of the tumor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Ospedale Civile di Livorno, 57100 Livorno, Italy. nimumoli@tiscali.it
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mumoli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cei
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pauletti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrito
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scazzeri
mesh_terms: D002345:Carotid Body Tumor / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color