University Clinic performs extremely rare paraganglioma excision

Good news for a female patient came recently.

She applied to the Clinic after a routine check-up, when the paraganglioma was first revealed. It was 2.5 cm in diameter and was positioned very close to carotid arteries.

Head of Vascular Surgery at the University Clinic, Distinguished Doctor of the Republic of Tatarstan Vladimir Lukanikhin comments, “Carotid glomus tumor is a very rare neoplasm at the bifurcation of the carotid artery. In this case, we are talking about a benign tumor. In 10 percent of cases, degeneration into a malignant tumor is likely, then the consequences can be completely different, as it can metastasize. A tumor of the glandular tissue, as it grows, begins to cover the carotid arteries – internal and external. The classification of the neoplasm also depends on the size and how closely it lies to the carotid arteries. When operating on such patients, there is a risk of damage to the cranial nerves. The second complication that may occur is the development of heavy bleeding. This intervention was completed with minimal blood loss.”

The first mention of a carotid glomus tumor was made by the Swiss physiologist Albrecht von Haller in 1743. The first attempt to surgically remove such a neoplasm was made in 1880, but it ended in the patient’s death. The first operation to remove a tumor with preservation of the internal carotid artery and without the development of complications was performed in the US in 1903.

“The tumor was not visible, and nothing bothered me, as it was felt only during palpation. I thought it was just enlarged tonsils. I learned about the existence of a neoplasm during a complete check-up. Having learned the diagnosis, I was very upset, but Vladimir Lukanikhin reassured me. A day after the surgery, I got up,” shares the happy patient.