A carotid body aneurysm is a relatively rare tumour that usually grows at the bifurcation of the carotid artery, and although most are benign tumours, if they grow larger over time, they can put pressure on the surrounding tissues and can lead to cerebral ischemia and stroke if they compress the carotid artery. Recently, the Department of Vascular Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University successfully completed the operation for a patient with a huge carotid artery body aneurysm, and lifted the "bomb" that was pressing on her neck.
Six years ago, when Ms. Chen looked in the mirror, she found that she had a bulge in her neck, at first she thought it was a thyroid problem, and rushed to the hospital for examination, but it turned out that it was not the case, but a rare tumor - carotid body aneurysm, the tumor tightly wrapped her carotid artery, and there were many small blood vessels around, the local doctor said that the risk of surgical removal was very large, Ms. Chen was worried, and she did not dare to accept the operation rashly**.
However, this tumor is not so "obedient", in the past six years, it has grown bigger and bigger, which not only affects Ms. Chen's external beauty, but also causes her a considerable psychological burden, under the recommendation of a friend, she decided to come to the Department of Vascular Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, hoping to have new technical means to help her relieve the "crisis on the neck".
The mass in the patient's neck is very pronounced, with a maximum diameter of more than 62 cm is a very typical carotid body aneurysm, and the aneurysm is high and the blood vessels are compressed and distorted. Professor Wang Haiyang, director of the vascular surgery department, immediately arranged for her to be admitted to the hospital for further **, surgery is the main method of carotid body aneurysm, which is not only to completely remove the tumor, but also to maintain the integrity of the carotid artery, and if necessary, carotid artery reconstruction is required. ”
Due to the special location, carotid artery aneurysm surgery has certain risks, the surrounding blood vessels and nerves are very rich, and the carotid artery is the main blood vessel of the brain, which will cause serious consequences such as heavy bleeding, nerve damage, and stroke if you are not careful.
In order to ensure the safety of the operation, Director Wang Haiyang has formulated a "two-step" plan for patients, "The traditional surgical plan may face huge risks such as cerebral infarction, intraoperative hemorrhage, and posterior cranial nerve damage due to carotid artery injury that cannot be reconstructed, so we consider the combination of minimally invasive interventional embolization of the external carotid artery and open surgery to completely remove the tumor. ”
Although the main blood vessels of the external carotid artery have been embolized through interventional techniques, surgical resection still cannot relax vigilance, which greatly tests the tacit understanding and technical strength of the team.
During the operation, it was found that the tumor wrapped the carotid artery very tightly, and it was inevitable that it would encounter small blood vessels during the operation to cause bleeding. The team described it as "peeling an orange", and it took more than three hours to remove the huge carotid body aneurysm in its entirety.
After the operation, he was admitted to the ICU for close monitoring for one day, and after all vital signs were stable and his consciousness was clear, he was transferred to the general ward of vascular surgery, and the patient has been discharged. For Ms. Chen, the problem that has puzzled her for more than six years has finally been resolved, and her whole spirit and mood have improved.
Doctors remind that the most common symptom of a carotid body aneurysm is a lump in the neck, usually located on the side of the neck or under the jaw, which may cause pressure on the surrounding tissues, brain blood**, optic nerve, facial nerve, etc., resulting in headache, dizziness, blurred vision, facial numbness or pain, etc., but these symptoms do not always appear.
And because the symptoms of a carotid aneurysm may be similar to those of other diseases, it is advisable to seek medical attention as soon as possible and receive a proper diagnosis if there are any related symptoms, and never think that it is not painful or itchy, the tumor may grow and become larger, and then not only may there be other risks, but the risk of surgery will also be greatly increased. ”
Supervising expert: Wang Haiyang, chief physician of the Department of Vascular Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University.