Cervical sympathetic chain schwannoma mimicking a carotid body tumor: a case report.

Carotid body tumor (CBT), the most common tumor of the carotid bifurcation, presents as a pulsatile mass. Cervical sympathetic chain (CSC) schwannomas are slow growing lesions originating from myelin-producing Schwann cells. They may appear pulsatile due to the displacement of vascular structures by the non-vascular mass and thus may mimic a CBT. A case of CSC schwannoma masquerading as CBT in a 25-year-old woman is presented and discussed here.