RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF SURGICAL TREATMENT OF CAROTID BODY TUMOUR - AN INSTITUTIONAL EXPERIENCE.

Aim: To analyse the demography, presentation, treatment modalities of carotid body tumour and evaluate outcomes and complications of surgical treatment of carotid body tumour . Material And Methods: Twenty one patients CBT, treated surgically from January 2010 to December 2016 were included in the study. Patient demography, presentation, diagnostic modalities, surgical and radiological interventions, outcomes and complications were analysed. Results: A total of 21 patients with age ranging from 13 to 60 years (median 45 years) with male preponderance (M:F=2.5:1) were diagnosed to have CBT in the study period. Local swelling was the commonest symptom (n=21), with other symptoms being hoarseness of voice, dysphagia, and ear/neck pain. Left laterality was found in 76.2% of patients (n=16), whereas 14.3% (n=3) of them were right sided with 9.5% (n=2) bilateral cases. Fifteen out of 21 patients (71.4%) were classified as Shamblin?s type II, with 2 of them (9.5%) as type I and the remaining 4 patients (19%) as type III CBTs. Thirteen patients underwent pre-operative angio-embolisation. Twenty patients (95.2%) underwent complete excision, whereas one patient underwent partial excision. Operative site hematoma was the commonest post-operative complication encountered. All patients except the one with partial excision are asymptomatic with minimum of 6 months follow up. Conclusion: Shamblin III had a high risk of postoperative neurovascular complications. Therefore, early detection and prompt surgical resection of CBTs will decrease surgical morbidity.