title: Carotid body tumors: a review of 25 years experience in diagnosis and management of 56 tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report our experience in the management of CBTs and review the literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  56 CBTs were operated upon over a period of 25 years. Surgical intervention was planned according to the Shamblin classification. Thirty-nine of the tumors were in males (69.64%), and 17 of the tumors were in females (30.36%). The average age was 42 (ages ranging between 32 and 47). Twenty-two tumors were diagnosed and treated with Shamblin type I, twenty-eight with type II and eight tumors with type III. All patients were unilateral except two had bilateral carotid tumors. Thirty-five lumps were de novo (group A), while 21 lumps were treated after a prior trial of removal (group B).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of carotid reconstruction was lower among group A (1/35) compared to group B (9/21). Complications were less in group A than group B (23% vs. 30%). There were 4 cases with suspected malignancy and no recurrences during the follow-up period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an increased incidence of major vascular reconstruction in cases not properly investigated or diagnosed and in cases with prior attempts of removal in Primary Hospitals. Proper diagnosis of suspicious lumps is mandatory. Resection of CBTs by surgeons with experience in vascular reconstruction is recommended. Vascular reconstructions have to be performed safely without serious complications. Also today, prior attempts of removal are not so common, with preoperative evaluation using the latest diagnostic tools. Cranial nerves injury (especially the Hypoglossal Nv) continues to be the most common complication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Amr
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gad
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sayed
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elwan
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Fouad M S
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Fouad
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kamal Eldin
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Khairy
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Elhindawy
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taha
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Engie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hefnawy
keywords: carotid body; carotid resection; paraganglioma