What surgical treatments are available for carotid body tumors?

What surgical treatments are available for carotid body tumors?

Cleveland Clinic vascular surgeons work closely with ear, nose and throat (otolaryngology) surgeons to offer patients a multidisciplinary approach to carotid body tumor treatment. Your healthcare team will create the best plan of care for you and give you detailed information about your procedure and recovery.

In general, a vascular surgeon will perform a transcatheter embolization and a bypass graft, if needed.

Transcatheter Embolization

A transcatheter embolization is a procedure that reduces blood supply to the tumor. It is done two or three days before surgery. A catheter will be guided through your groin artery into the blood vessels that feed blood to the tumor. Then, medication and/or a blocking device, such as foam, plastic, metal coil, or glue is used to stop the blood flow to the tumor.

Surgical Removal (Resection)

Most times (60% -70%), the tumor can be removed without the need to repair or remove part of the carotid artery. If the artery does need to be repaired, it may be fixed with a simple suture repair. Sometimes, a more complicated repair is needed, such as creating a patch over a hole made during the tumor removal or replacing a section of the artery with a bypass graft (using another blood vessel to create a new pathway for the blood to flow).

Risks of Treatment

Treatment for carotid body tumors is generally very safe with good outcomes. However, all surgery involves risks. One possible complication is stroke, but this is rare and happens in less than 2% of carotid body tumor removals. The risk is highest for patients who have large tumors and need to have vascular repair or replacement.

If the tumor affects the nerves near the carotid artery, such as the vagus nerve, facial nerve or hypoglossal nerve that controls your tongue, part of the nerve may need to be removed. This can cause problems with the affected nerve(s). The risk of nerve problems is higher if the tumor is large, but the overall risk of permanent nerve damage is less than 5%.

If the tumor is cancerous, there is a less than 5% chance it will spread to other areas of your body (metastatic disease).

The risk of having another carotid body tumor after surgery is 5% to 10%.

Cleveland Clinic surgeons take special precautions to decrease your risk of complications. Your surgeon will talk to you about these and other risks. Please make sure you understand why you need surgery, your risks, and ask your doctor any questions you have about your condition or treatment.