Digital subtraction angiography for preoperative diagnosis of carotid body tumor. Case report.

A case of carotid body tumor preoperatively diagnosed by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is reported. For the first time to our knowledge, it demonstrates the effectiveness of DSA in the preoperative diagnosis of carotid body tumor. The advantages of this procedure vs. direct angiography are mainly its lower invasiveness and the absence of side- effects secondary to direct intra-arterial administration of contrast dye under general anesthesia.