Surgical treatment of carotid body tumours

Objective: To evaluate our results of the treatment of patients with carotid body tumours. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: University hospital, Greece. Subjects: 17 patients operated on for a carotid body tumour during the past 20 years. Main outcome measures: Hospital mortality and morbidity, long-term outcome. Results: 3 patients had temporary cranial nerve lesions postoperatively, all of which resolved within three months. One patient developed a severe stroke and died seven days postoperatively. During follow-up that ranged from 7 months to 20 years, two patients died of unrelated causes. 5 patients mere lost to follow up, and the remaining 10 were doing well with no signs of recurrence at the time of writing. Conclusion: Excision of a carotid body tumour is recommended at the time of initial diagnosis in good-risk patients to avoid the difficulty of subsequent excision of an enlarging and highly vascular tumour with possible encasement of the carotid artery.