Adjuvant techniques for the management of large carotid body tumors. A case report and review.

Although the first successful resection of a carotid body tumor was reported over 100 years ago this operation remains technically challenging with many potential pitfalls. The case of a man with a large (8 cm) carotid body tumor will be presented in order to identify key issues that pertain to effective diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. A multidisciplinary team (vascular surgeon, neurosurgeon, neuroradiologist, interventional radiologist and oromaxillofacial surgeon) provided specific expertise on each aspect of the patient's evaluation and treatment. Adjuvant techniques employed in this case included angiographic tumor embolization, jaw subluxation, strap muscle division, nasotracheal intubation, carotid resection and saphenous vein interposition grafting.