[Diagnostic and treatment of carotid bodies tumors]

Carotid body tumor is rare neoplasm (about 0,5 per cent of all tumors).[28]. The tumor arise from paraganglionic cells of carotid body, which develops from both mesodermal elements of the third branchial arch and neural elements originating from the neural crest ectoderm.[25]. Mathews warned: "this rare tumor presents unusual difficulties to the surgeon, and should one encounter it without having suspected the diagnosis, the experience will not soon be forgotten".[19]. The aim of this retrospective study is to investigate the frequency, number of spreading and results from the treatment in patients with carotid bodies tumors.

Eleven patients (2,58%) with carotid bodies tumors were diagnosed and operated under upon from January 1990 to June 2007 at the "Department of Vascular surgery and Angiology" of "St. Ekaterina" University hospital - Sofia, from commonly 427 surgical intervention in the area of carotid triangle for the same period. The clinical picture, operating time and blood loss during the surgery were examined. Careful subadventitial dissection was used like a method, which have to reduce the number of postoperative complications and blood loss.

All 11 patients were operated upon with endotrachial anesthesia and in two of them there was intracranial nerves injure, reconstruction of carotid artery has established in two of the patients. In the early postoperative period there was disphagia in three of the patients, four were with partial damage of n. hypoglossus, two- with damage of the face branch of n. facialis and six with parasthesia at the operated side.

CT angiography of carotid bifurcation has established as basic method in the diagnostic. Total extirpation of the tumor remains the basic method of treatment from high quality specialists in carotid surgery. Careful subadvetitial dissection and accuracy excision allow the whole separation of the tumor from the carotid bifurcation without traumatic lesion. [28].