Thrombo-endarterectomy for stenosis of the internal carotid artery and simultaneous resection of a carotid body tumor under local anesthesia

This is a case report of a patient who showed the surprising diagnosis of a carotid body tumor in the presence of stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) during a routine operation. Despite the fact that all modern diagnostic investigations had been performed, the presence of a carotid body tumor had not been revealed. Subadventitial preparation of the carotid body tumor was carried out safely under local anaesthesia, while for the stenosis of the ICA intraluminal shunt protection was employed. Even in a routine thrombo-endarterectomy of the ICA the rare diagnosis of a carotid body tumor should be taken into consideration.