Jugular vein invasion rate in surgically operated paragangliomas: a multimodality retrospective study

PurposeTo assess the rate of jugular vein (JV) invasion by paragangliomas and imaging's ability to predict invasion.MethodsImaging studies of patients with paragangliomas were evaluated for JV invasion. Rates of invasion by different paragangliomas and each modality's accuracy were determined.ResultsJV invasion occurred in 11/11 glomus jugulares (GJs), 3/5 glomus vagales, and 2/8 carotid body tumors. Accuracy for magnetic resonance imaging (92.3%), computed tomography (92.3%), and digital subtraction angiography (94.1%) was comparable.ConclusionsJV invasion is characteristic of but not specific to GJs. All modalities show high accuracy in detecting invasion.