[Paragangliomas of the head and neck. Our experience]

Paragangliomas of the head and neck are rare tumors of neuroectodermal origin. However, jugulotympanic paragangliomas are the second most common tumor of the temporal bone. Paragangliomas are recognized as benign tumors, but some show a biological behavior similar to that of malignant lesions, such as the development of recurrence or invasive growth patterns. We report 31 patients with a total of 35 paragangliomas who were seen in our department. Multiple paragangliomas were found in 2 patients. Twenty-two patients had jugulotympanic paragangliomas, 11 carotid and 2 vagal paragangliomas. None of the patients had prior treatment and the minimum follow-up was 1 year. Surgery was performed in 28 (90%), primary irradiation in 1 (3%), and 2 (7%) refused treatment. We describe our results, the clinical course, diagnostic methods and treatment options.