title: Our experience with carotid body paragangliomas.
abstract: Carotid body paragangliomas (CBP) are rare neoplasms arising from the           small chemoreceptor organ in the adventitia of the common carotid bifurcation. The           aim of this study is to present the diagnostic process, performed treatment and           obtained results in patients with carotid body paragangliomas of the Department of           Otolaryngology of Istanbul Education and Research Hospital between March 1997           and November 2008. Retrospective analysis was carried out, based on the medical           documentation of 5 patients with carotid body paragangliomas (3 women and 2           men), age range 44 to 68 years with a mean of 59.6 years. Four of the patients           were diagnosed and treated with Shamblin type II tumor, one of the patients with           type I. Physical examination, radiological evaluation, method of the treatment and           post-treatment complications were studied. The most common and single symptom           was nonspecific neck mass. Preoperative diagnostic evaluation consisted of a color           duplex ultrasonography, computerized tomography with contrast enhancement,           magnetic resonance imaging and digital subtraction angiography. In all patients with           Shamblin type I and II, blunt dissection of the tumor was conducted smoothly in the           subadventitial plane. Postoperative vagus nerve and hypoglossal nerve deficit were           reported in one case. Carotid body paraganglioma excision has higher risk of cranial           nerve paresis and carotid artery injury, so it requires careful handling and good           surgical skills to ensure complete removal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. banuatalay81@gmail.com
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Erdogan
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bora
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Altin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paksoy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002345:Carotid Body Tumor / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged