Surgical treatment of carotid paragangliomas presenting unusual technical difficulties. The value of preoperative embolization.

Although the application of reconstructive vascular surgical procedures to the treatment of carotid paragangliomas has made their resection the method of choice and has produced excellent cure rates, it has not obviated some of the technical problems presented by excessively vascular, adherent, or bulky lesions. Our experience with preoperative trans-catheter embolization for the reduction of the vascularity in six cases of this group of lesions is presented and the conclusion is made that preoperative embolization greatly reduced operative technical difficulties.