Current conception of carotid chemodectoma and efficiency of its treatment methods

Abstract

The review presents current data from foreign studies of a rare tumor — carotid chemodectoma, particularly, about its prevalence, classification, clinical presentation, applicability of different diagnostics methods, and also on efficiency of treatment of this disease and complications developing after it in terms of described clinical cases. Search for relevant sources was carried out in Medline, US National Library of Medicine, Elibrary systems, in Cochrane Library and peer-reviewed scientific journals. A total of 26 studies were found, 22 of them were included in the review. Carotid chemodectoma is most often characterized by benign course, but, because of its scarce clinical presentation, specific examination methods are required for its accurate diagnosis. Surgical resection is usually used for the treatment of carotid chemodectoma, and in case of contraindications for the surgery, radiotherapy is applied (as a palliative method). The most widespread complications after surgical treatment are cranial nerve damage, intraoperative bleeding and ischemic stroke. Several cases were described in literature, when scientists from different countries (USA, Korea) attempted to decrease risk of complications by use of preoperational embolization, but that led to new complications, particularly, to migration of embolic material. At the same time, scientists from Netherlands noted some decrease of the number of postoperative complications when craniocaudal method was used. To date the only effective method of treatment of carotid chemodectoma is still surgical resection, but it cannot be used in a broad variety of cases. Moreover, the world surgical practice has no effective techniques for prevention of different complications occurring in postoperative period, that reduces possibilities of successful patients’ recovery. Therefore, to decrease the rate of postoperative complications and to increase patients survival rate further studies are required.