Preoperative Embolization and Postoperative Complications of Carotid Body Tumors

Carotid body tumors are uncommon neoplasms that arise at the bifurcation of the common carotid artery. Surgical resection is generally recommended, but entails an inherent risk of cranial nerves injury and excessive blood loss. Preoperative embolization has been reported to decrease blood loss and shorten resection time. In this study, we analyzed the benefits of preoperative embolization and the postoperative complications when preoperative embolization was performed. Six patients with seven tumors were treated between 1990 and 2005. Each patient's preoperative evaluation included CT, MRI, US, and angiography, and preoperative embolization was performed in four patients with five tumors. Blood loss, in the patients who underwent preoperative embolization, ranged from 20 ml to 900 ml (mean: 291ml), and operation time ranged from 4 hours 34 minutes to 6 hours 40 minutes (mean: 4 hours 55 minutes). In the group that did not undergo preoperative embolization, blood loss ranged from 642 ml to 1390 ml (mean: 1016 ml), and operation time ranged from 9 hours 48 minutes to 10 hours 45 minutes (mean: 10 hours 17 minutes). Five patients had postoperative cranial nerve dysfunction, and it involved cranial nerve IX in one patient (14.3%), cranial nerve X in two patients (28.5%), and cranial nerve XII in five patients (71.4%). Resection of bilateral carotid body tumors in one patient resulted in baroreflex failure syndrome. In conclusion, preoperative embolization tends to decrease blood loss and shorten operation time, resulting in lower postoperative neurologic morbidity.