Evolving management strategies in head and neck paragangliomas: A single‐centre experience with 147 patients over a 60‐year period

Evolving management strategies in head and neck paragangliomas: A single-centre experience with 147 patients over a 60-year period 1 | INTRODUC TI ON Paragangliomas (PGLs) are rare, slow-growing and usually benign tumours that arise in the paraganglion tissue associated with the autonomic nervous system.PGLs can be divided into head and neck paragangliomas (HNPGLs), sympathetic paragangliomas (sPGLs) located in the abdomen or thorax, and pheochromocytomas (PHEOs) located in the adrenal glands.Generally, HNPGLs are of parasympathetic origin and about one-third of HNPGL patients have catecholamine-secreting tumours that may cause elevated blood pressure, palpitations, flushes and agitation.2013Head and neck paragangliomas most frequently originate from the paraganglia in the bifurcation of the carotid artery, the jugular foramen, along the vagal nerve or along the tympanic nerve.Rarely, HNPGLs are located elsewhere in the head and neck region, that is, the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, parotid gland, cervical sympathetic chain, pharynx, larynx, trachea, aortic arch, ciliary ganglion