[Carotid body tumor. Analysis of 96 cases]

This is a retrospective study of 96 cases of carotid body tumor studies over a 20 year period. This tumor appears most often in females, and its frequency increases after the age of forty. In this group of patients, the sea level altitude of the place of residence appeared to be the main associative factor in the origin of the tumors. The symptoms are few, and usually the presence of the tumor is the only sign. The carotid angiography was the main study used to confirm the diagnosis. In thirty two cases surgery was performed: total resection was possible in twenty two cases and partial resection in three. In five cases it was only possible to obtain a biopsy from the tumor. The remaining two were found to be nonresectable. Surgical complications were minimal, except for one immediate postoperative death. No functionality was shown in any of the cases; only two cases were malignant, and one case was shown to be of familial origin. Our conclusion is that surgery should be performed on patients with tumors of five cm or less, under fifty years of age, with low surgical risk, and with a high tumor growth rate. Other patients can be managed with periodic examinations.