Carotid body tumors

Carotid body tumors are very uncommon. The tumor usually appears just lateral to top of hyoid bone at the upper part of the neck where the common carotids branch into the internal and external carotids. Carotid body tumors are also called chemodectomas or paragagliomas. They are slow growing tumor which is usually benign.

Carotid body tumors usually present with hoarseness and difficulty swallowing, but are mostly painless. They usually affect women over the age of 50. There are numerous modalities to detect carotid body tumors: CTA, MRA, US, and carotid angiography. The size of the tumor determines the course of treatment. Embolization is preformed on tumors greater than 4 cm with radiation and chemotherapy.