Background: Presentation of case reviews depicting the imaging characteristics of carotid paragangliomas, associated with a thorough analysis of the anatomical morphological features and the current therapeutic strategies.
Materials And Methods: We present the cases of 3 patients diagnosed with carotid paragangliomas in our clinic, illustrating diagnostic imaging elements by computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but also the postoperative aspect of the carotid system, with respective anatomical, clinical and surgical considerations.
Results: The imaging aspect of the carotid paragangliomas is characterised by a mass of soft tissue with intense contrast enhancement and with "salt and pepper" MRI appearance on conventional spin-echo sequences. The postoperative evolution of the patients included in the article was favourable, without any perioperative complications or signs of local tumour recurrence.
Conclusions: Carotid paragangliomas are rare, often asymptomatic tumours, but with potential for increased malignancy, which raises the need for good knowledge of the cervical region pathology as well as the features of neuroendocrine tumours. CT and MRI examinations are essential for diagnosis, staging and, implicitly, for establishing the therapeutic strategy.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.5603/FM.a2020.0078 | DOI Listing |
JNCI Cancer Spectr
January 2025
Section on Medical Neuroendocrinology National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892, MD, USA.
Head and neck paragangliomas (HNPGLs) are typically slow-growing, hormonally inactive tumors of parasympathetic paraganglia. Inactivation of prolyl-hydroxylase domain-containing 2 protein causing indirect gain-of-function of hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α), encoded by EPAS1, was recently shown to cause carotid body hyperplasia. We previously described a syndrome with multiple sympathetic paragangliomas caused by direct gain-of-function variants in EPAS1 (Pacak-Zhuang syndrome, PZS) and developed a corresponding mouse model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLaryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol
February 2025
Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery Dalhousie University Halifax Nova Scotia Canada.
Objective: Carotid body tumors (CBTs) are rare neoplasms of the paraganglia at the carotid bifurcation. While typically benign, CBTs occasionally exhibit malignancy, metastasizing to nearby lymph nodes. Histopathologic analysis alone is insufficient to confirm malignancy, requiring metastases to non-neuroendocrine tissue for a definitive diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Surg Case Rep
January 2025
Neurosurgery Section, Department of Surgery, The Aga Khan Hospital, P. O Box 2289, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
Introduction And Importance: Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors, typically arising from extra-adrenal chromaffin cells. Primary intra-spinal paragangliomas are uncommon, and metastatic spinal paragangliomas without paraneoplastic symptoms are even rarer. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges posed by such rare tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Nucl Med
November 2024
From the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Ankara, Turkiye.
A 39-year-old woman with bilateral carotid body tumors was referred to 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT for further evaluation. Unknown metastatic sites with increased 68Ga-DOTATATE uptake were detected in the left cervical lymph node, liver, and bone. Carotid body paragangliomas (CBPs) represent less than 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
December 2024
Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, USA.
Carotid body tumors (CBTs), rare neuroendocrine neoplasms near the carotid bifurcation, are mostly asymptomatic but may cause discomfort and autonomic dysfunction. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is used for diagnosis, eliminating the need for a biopsy to avoid the risk of hemorrhage. Surgical excision is the preferred treatment, while radiotherapy is an option when surgery is impractical.
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