What are the carotid bulbs?

The carotid sinus, also known as the carotid bulb, is a neurovascular structure that appears as a dilation at the bifurcation of the common carotid artery, and the beginning of the internal carotid artery.

What is carotid body tumor?

A carotid body tumor (also called a chemodectoma or paraganglioma) is a growth on the side of your neck in the area where the carotid artery splits off into smaller blood vessels that carry blood to your brain.

What is the function of the carotid?

There are two carotid arteries, one on either side of the neck. Healthy carotid arteries transport blood and oxygen to the brain and head. If the carotid arteries are narrowed or blocked, not enough blood and oxygen pass through.

What are the symptoms of carotid sinus syndrome?

History

• Recurrent dizziness, near-syncope.
• Recurrent syncope.
• Nonaccidental, unexplained falls.
• Symptoms produced by head turning or wearing garments with tight-fitting collars.
• Neck tumors, extensive neck scarring secondary to radical dissection or radiation fibrosis or neck trauma.

Can you feel the carotid bulb?

The carotid arteries are two large blood vessels that supply oxygenated blood to the large, front part of the brain. This is where thinking, speech, personality, and sensory and motor functions reside. You can feel your pulse in the carotid arteries on each side of your neck, right below the angle of the jaw line.

How serious is a carotid body tumor?

The cluster of cells around that branching is called the carotid body, or carotid glomus. The tumors that develop there are not life-threatening, but they can grow quickly and press on nearby nerves and blood vessels, causing damage to those structures.

How do you know if something is wrong with your carotid artery?

Sudden numbness or weakness in the face or limbs, often on only one side of the body. Sudden trouble speaking and understanding. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. Sudden dizziness or loss of balance.

How fast do carotid body tumors grow?

They are slow-growing tumors that can remain asymptomatic for many years. The doubling time (TD) of carotid body tumors (CBTs), as estimated by Jansen et al using sequential imaging, was 7.13 years with a median growth rate of 0.83 mm/year.