International Journal of Clinical & Medical Images

Clinical Image

The 36-year-old woman presented with a palpable mass over the left neck for a number of years. Sonography revealed a tumor located within the left carotid bifurcation with significant vascularity, and the carotid body tumor was impressed. The selective angiography showed blood supply of the tumor from both internal and external carotid system (Figure 1). During surgery, both feeding arteries from proximal of internal (ICA) and external carotid artery (ECA) were found (Figure 2). A review of the literature showed that the feeding arteries of carotid body tumor are usually from the ECA, some from the ICA and even from the vertebral artery, but feeding from both the external and internal system has never been reported. Several procedures have been introduced to reduce the risk of bleeding in operation, but acquiring detailed information concerning feeding artery is most important, including the source, size, location, and the impact on interrupting the blood flow of carotid artery.

Keywords: Sonography; Carotid artery