Bilateral carotid body tumors. A case report.

A case of bilateral carotid body tumors is reported. The patient was a 28-year-old female with a 10-year history of painless and pulsating neck masses on both sides. Enhanced CT scan demonstrated well-circumscribed masses with strong enhancement on both sides of the neck which surrounded the carotid bifurcations. Carotid angiography revealed highly vascularized masses on both sides of the carotid bifurcations.Resection of each tumor was performed separately under hypotensive general anesthesia. Dissection in the capsular-adventitial plane was successfully performed using a bipolar coagulator under an operating microscope. The common and internal carotid arteries on both sides were preserved. Histological examination of the resected specimens confirmed the diagnosis of carotid body tumors.This report is the second case of the bilateral carotid body tumors in Japan.