Carotid Body Tumor Resection: Long-Term Outcome of 67 Cases without Preoperative Embolization

Background: Carotid body tumors (CBTs) are rare tumors in the neck. Surgical resection is the gold standard of treatment. Surgical resection may be complicated by bleeding. Preoperative embolization has recently been introduced for the treatment to reduce the quantity of blood loss; however, the outcomes of this procedure are still under debate. In this article, we have presented the outcomes of patients who underwent surgical resection for CBT without undergoing preoperative embolization in our institution.

Methods: This retrospective study reviewed 67 tumor resection cases who underwent surgical resection for CBTs without undergoing preoperative embolization. Tumor classification was performed as per the Shamblin classification. The demographic, clinical characteristics, and the operative information about the patients were retrieved from the patient records. The obtained data were analyzed with descriptive statistics.

Results: The study included 12 male and 55 female patients. The mean age was 51.95 ± 16.59 years. Of the surgically resected tumors; 11 (16.4%) were Shamblin type I, 30 (44.8%) were Shamblin type II, and 26 (38.8%) were Shamblin type III. The mean duration of operation was 109.10 ± 32.36 min. The volume of intraoperative blood loss in the Shamblin type I, type II, and type III groups were 98.64 ± 23.46 cc, 215.33 ± 75.74 cc, and 351.73 ± 62.51 cc, respectively, and they were significantly different among the groups (P < 0.001). The volume of postoperative blood loss in the Shamblin type I, type II, and type III groups were 34.09 ± 10.44 cc, 53.00 ± 20.02 cc, and 62.50 ± 25.11 cc, respectively, and they were significantly different among the groups (P = 0.003). Cranial nerve injury developed in 10 (15.0%) patients. Postoperative stroke developed in 2 (3%) patients. No mortality or persistent nerve injury was observed in association with the injury in the patients during the 1-year follow-up period.

Conclusions: CBTs can be surgically resected safely and effectively without a need for preoperative embolization.