A carotid body tumor may not cause any symptoms at first, but it can usually be felt as a slow-growing, painless mass on the side of the neck. As the tumor enlarges, over the course of several years, it may begin to cause symptoms that include:
- Hoarseness
- Difficulty swallowing
- Partial paralysis or numbness in the tongue
- Weakness or pain in the shoulders
- Vision changes, or a drooping eyelid
- High blood pressure or heart palpitations
- A bruit – the distinct whooshing sound of blood pushing past an obstruction
A carotid body tumor is extremely slow growing and is not an emergency, but anyone with a suspected or diagnosed carotid body tumor should be referred to a cerebrovascular neurosurgeon for evaluation. (See Diagnosing and Treating a Carotid Body Tumor.)
This Is Your Brain: Carotid Body Tumors
Dr. Stieg explains what it means to have one, and what the treatment options are
Our Care Team
- Chairman and Neurosurgeon-in-Chief
- Margaret and Robert J. Hariri, MD ’87, PhD ’87 Professor of Neurological Surgery
- Vice Provost of Business Affairs and Integration
Phone: 212-746-4684
- Professor of Radiology in Neurological Surgery
Phone: 212-746-4998
- Director of Cerebrovascular Surgery and Interventional Neuroradiology
- Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery
- Fellowship Director, Endovascular Neurosurgery
Phone: 212-746-5149
- Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery (Brooklyn and Manhattan)
Phone: 212-746-2821 (Manhattan); 718-780-3070 (Brooklyn)
Reviewed by Justin Schwarz, M.D.
Last reviewed/last updated: August 2021