Carotid Body Tumours: A Review

Abdulsalam Y. Taha

Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sulaimaniyah and Sulaimaniyah Teaching Hospital, Sulaimaniyah, Iraq.

DOI: 10.4236/ijcm.2015.63017                

Abstract

The carotid body is a small structure weighing 12 mg located in the adventitia of carotid artery bifurcation acting as a chemoreceptor. Carotid body tumour (CBT); formerly known as chemodectoma is a rare, highly vascular, mostly benign tumour arising from the paraganglia of carotid body; hence, the name (carotid paraganglioma). The high vascularity and proximity to cranial nerves and major vessels make this tumour a surgical challenge. Abundant literature has been written about CBT in the last century with a continuous debate regarding its etiology, natural history, biological behavior, proper technique of excision, and the morbidity and mortality associated with its resection. The purpose of this review article is to simplify understanding the basic and clinical aspects of this challenging neoplasm.

Keywords

Carotid Body, Carotid Sinus, Paraganglioma, Neuroendocrine Tumours, Carotid Body Tumours, Review

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2014) Carotid Body [Internet Monograph]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carotid_body
[2]	(2014) Location and Microanatomy of Carotid Body Picture [Image on the Internet]. http://163.178.103.176/Fisiologia/respiratorio/pracb_5/Boronfig31-10.jpg
[3]	(1983) The Human Carotid Body. Thorax, 38, 561-564. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/thx.38.8.561
[4]	Gupta, B. and Mitra, J.K. (2014) Anaesthetic Management of Chemodectoma Excision. The Indian Anesthetists’, Forum [Serial Online]. www.theiaforum.org
[5]	Shibuyaa, Y., Umedab, M., Yoshikawab, T., et al. (2002) Carotid Body Tumour: Case Report. Oral Oncology, 38, 313-317. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1368-8375(01)00057-4
[6]	(2013) Learning about the Neuroendocrine System: Fact Sheet [Internet Monograph]. Basel: The Net Alliance: A Novartis Oncology Initiative. http://www.thenetalliance.com/About-NET.jsp?id=0
[7]	Buckingham, E. and Ryan, M. (2002) Paragangliomas [Unpublished Lecture Notes]. The University of Texas Medical Branch, Department of Otolaryngology.
[8]	Boedeker, C.C. (2011) Paragangliomas and Paraganglioma Syndromes. GMS Current Topics in Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery [Serial Online]. http://www.egms.de/static/en/journals/cto/2012-10/cto000076.shtml
[9]	(2014) Neural Crest Image [Image on the Internet]. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Neural_crest.svg/2000px-Neural_crest.svg.png
[10]	Wieneke, J.A. and Smith, A. (2009) Paraganglioma: Carotid Body Tumor. Head and Neck Pathology, 3, 303-306. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12105-009-0130-5
[11]	O’Neill, S., O’Donnell, M., Harkin, D., Loughrey, M., Lee, B. and Blair, P. (2011) A 22-Year Northern Irish Experience of Carotid Body Tumours. Ulster Medical Journal, 80, 133-140.
[12]	Histopathological Appearance of Carotid Body Tumour [Image on the Internet]. http://www.journalmc.org/index.php/JMC/article/viewFile/1754/1018/10896
[13]	Wang, S.J., Wang, M.B., Barauskas, T.M. and Calcaterra, T.C. (2000) Surgical Management of Carotid Body Tumors. Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, 123, 202-206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1067/mhn.2000.106709
[14]	Tayyab, M., Khan, M.R. and Sophie, Z. (2003) Presentation and Management of Carotid Body Tumors. Journal of Pakistan Medical Association, (Serial Online), 53. http://www.jpma.org.pk/full_article_text.php?article_id=227
[15]	Patetsios, P., Gable, D.R., Garrett, W.V., Lamont, J.P., Kuhn, J.A., Shutze, W.P., et al. (2002) Management of Carotid Body Paragangliomas and Review of a 30-Year Experience. Annals of Vascular Surgery, 16, 331-338. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10016-001-0106-8
[16]	Ferreira, J., Canedo, A., Braga, S., Vasconcelos, J., Gouveia, R., Martins, V., Brandao, P. and Vaz, A. (2013) Carotid body Tumours Resection with Ultrasound Dissector. Chinese Medical Journal, 126, 586-588.
[17]	Hussen, W.M. (2008) Carotid Body Tumor. Journal of Faculty of Medicine Baghdad, 50, 410-413.
[18]	Salehian, M.T., Ghoddoosi, I., Marashi, A. and Fazel, I. (2002) Carotid Body Tumours: Survey of 97 Patients. Archives of Internal Medicine, 5, 1-5.
[19]	Suarez, C., Rodrigo, J.P., Mendenhall, W.M., Hamoir, M., Silver, C.E., Grégoire, V., Strojan, P., Neumann, H.P., Obholzer, R., Offergeld, C., Langendijk, J.A., Rinaldo, A. and Ferlito, A. (2013) Carotid Body Paragangliomas: A Systematic Study on Management with Surgery and Radiotherapy. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, (Serial Online), 271, 23-34. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00405-013-2384-5
[20]	Kafie, F.E. and Freischlag, J.A. (2001) Carotid Body Tumors: The Role of Preoperative Embolization. Annals of Vascular Surgery, 15, 237-242. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s100160010058