Bilateral carotid body tumor resection in a female patient

Surgical resection of carotid body tumors represents a special challenge to the surgeon because of the complex anatomical location of the tumor, including close relationship with the cranial nerves, involvement of the carotid vessels and large vascularization of the tumor. With the advance of diagnosis and improvement in surgical techniques as well as the understanding of biological behavior of tumors, surgical treatment has become a safer alternative for treating these tumors.