Power Doppler scanning in the diagnosis of carotid body tumors

The aim of this work was to show contribution of power Doppler imaging in the diagnosis of the carotid body tumors. Six patients with a nontender mass beneath the mandibular angle were evaluated with gray scale and power Doppler sonography. Well-defined, solid, weakly hyperechoic masses were noted on gray scale sonography in the carotid bifurcation. Power Doppler sonography showed abundant flow, characterized as an intense blush, throughout the entire tumor in all patients. We believe that invasive and expensive diagnostic modalities are not necessary to evaluate carotid body tumors. Gray scale sonography and power Doppler imaging are sufficient for primary diagnosis of carotid body tumors.