Carotid body tumors

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome after bilateral carotid paraganglioma resection: A case report

Background

Paraganglioma is a rare neuroendocrine tumour arising anywhere along the paravertebral sympathetic and parasympathetic chains. In the neck, paraganglioma may affect the carotid body (carotid body tumour).

Case report

We describe a 43-year-old woman who presented with a reversible vasoconstriction syndrome associated with a posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome following a surgery for a left carotid paraganglioma (with a past medical history of surgery for a right carotid paraganglioma a few months before).

Conclusion

A consequence of a baroreflex modification is discussed in order to explain the rare occurrence of such symptoms.

Carotid body paraganglioma: rare tumor in a 15-year-old adolescent boy

We report a 15-year-old adolescent boy with right-side carotid body paraganglioma (CBP). The diagnosis of CBP was suspected accidentally because of an asymptomatic mass in the right side of the neck and was confirmed by ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and carotid arteriography. The CBP was successfully removed surgically by complete subadventitial excision without complications or neurologic sequelae. In addition, the patient had type 1 diabetes. Recently, it has been demonstrated that carotid body plays a role in the glucoregulation in vivo and that hypoglycaemic episodes in patients with diabetes may be related to alterations of carotid body sensory function. Paragangliomas are extremely rare in pediatric age, and it is not clear in our patient if diabetes also has a role in the development of CBP. We describe the case and analyse the treatment options of CBP.