Carotid body tumour associated with cyanotic heart disease

We report a case of a 60-year-old woman with a history of cyanotic heart disease who presented with a painless and palpable left-sided anterior neck mass. Clinical examination did not reveal any cranial nerve palsy. Soft systolic and diastolic murmurs were heard on auscultation and the patient also suffered from persistent shortness of breath (O2 saturation approximately 90%). Previously, transoesophageal echocardiography had demonstrated a large fenestrated secundum atrial septal defect with right-to-left shunting. There was no relevant family history. A contrast-enhanced neck CT scan revealed a highly vascular and well-circumscribed 2.2×2.0 cm …