[Clinical analysis of 19 carotid body tumors].

Purpose: To investigate the diagnosis and therapeutic approaches of carotid body tumor (CBT).

Methods: In this study, the medical records of 19 patients with carotid body tumor were reviewed retrospectively. These patients had been referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Shandong Provincial Hospital from 1999 to 2004.

Results: B ultrasound, DSA, MRI, CTA were used as the modalities of diagnosis for 19 CBT cases. All patients were submitted to surgical resection of the tumor. Among them, preoperative Matas test was carried out in 7 patients. Monitoring retrograde stump pressure of internal carotid artery was performed in all the cases during the operations. 11 patients underwent TCD examination before and during operation. Internal shunt was applied in 5 cases. Postoperatively, paralysis of hypoglossal never occurred in 4 patients, paralysis of pneumogastric never occurred in one patient, no hemiplegia and death occurred.

Conclusions: DSA CTA, MRI are more effective modalities to diagnose CBT. The way of choosing local anaesthesia firstly and then general anaesthesia is preferable. Monitoring of TCD, retrograde stump pressure of internal carotid artery and internal shunt application are the keys for successful Surgery.