Surgical management of vagal chemodectomas.

Vagal chemodectomas (tumors of the vagal glomus body) are histologically benign and insensitive to radiation therapy. Unless properly managed, these tumors may become life-threatening because of their eventual impingement on surrounding structures, particularly contents of the cranial vault. Patients with chemodectomas of the skull base may be surgically treated without significant functional or cosmetic loss, provided the surgeon possesses the following surgical abilities: 1. temporal bone dissection capabilities; 2. microsurgical skills, including techniques of middle ear reconstruction and neurovascular anastomosis; 3. implementation of simultaneous multiple approaches to the skull base and infratemporal fossa; and 4. the capability of managing technically inherent intraoperative and postoperative problems. Experience from nine patients, all successfully treated surgically, will be summarized.