Sonography of the Carotid Body Tumor

Abstract

For the past century, medical professionals have debated about the management of the carotid body tumor and the risk of morbidity and mortality. Controversies still remain in deciding a treatment plan. Treatment options are related to patient age, tumor type (sporadic vs familial), size of tumor and malignancy potential. A carotid body tumor is a type of paraganglioma arising from specialized cells (the carotid body) at the carotid bifurcation. These tumors are typically slow growing and benign. Increasing size can lead to adjacent nerve damage and thus require resection. Although carotid body tumors are uncommon, sonographers that perform carotid artery evaluations over the course of many years may encounter this neck mass. This review is to familiarize the sonographer with the identifiable features of the carotid body tumor and how this information relates to the treatment decisions.