Carotid body tumors are slow growing neck masses that arise from the neural crest cells at the carotid bifurcation. Majority are asymptomatic and are diagnosed incidentally. Surgical excision is accepted as the treatment of choice to reduce complications. In the present series, we report 10 cases of carotid body tumors and our institutional experience. All patients underwent radiological evaluation with an ultrasonography with Doppler, contrast enhanced computed tomography and MR angiography. 6 cases were operated by a transcervical excision. The tumor was excised in tototranscervically. One of the cases required saphenous vein graft intraoperatively due to vascular injury and also had postoperative vocal cord palsy. The rest had an uneventful recovery. Carotid body tumors although rare and seemingly indolent can cause substantial symptoms if left untreated. A prompt multi modality approach is needed for both diagnosis and treatment to avoid major complications.

Aneurysms arising from the distal carotid, proximal A1, and proximal M1 that project posteriorly and superiorly toward the anterior perforated substance (APS) are rare. Their open surgical treatment is particularly difficult due to poorly visualized origin of the aneurysm and the abundance of surrounding perforators. We sought to analyze the anatomical and clinical characteristics of APS aneurysms and discuss surgical nuances that can optimize visualization, complete neck clip obliteration, and preservation of adjacent perforators. Thirty-two patients with 36 APS aneurysms were surgically treated between November 2000 and September 2017. Patients were prospectively enrolled in a cerebral aneurysm database and their clinical, imaging, and surgical records were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty-seven aneurysms originated from the distal ICA, 7 from the proximal A1, and 2 from the proximal M1; 15 patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Careful intraoperative dissection revealed 4 aneurysms originating at the takeoff of a perforator; another 25 had at least 1 adherent perforator. All aneurysms were clipped except for one that was trapped. Postoperatively, 3 patients had radiographic infarctions in perforator territory with only 1 developing delayed clinical hemiparesis. Good outcome (modified Rankin Scale, 0-2) was achieved in 28 patients (88%). APS aneurysms present a challenging subset of aneurysms due to their complex anatomical relationship with surrounding perforators. These should be identified on preoperative imaging based on location and projection. Successful microsurgical clipping relies on optimization of the surgical view, meticulous clip reconstruction, preservation of all perforators, and electrophysiological monitoring to minimize ischemic complication.

4D flow MRI is a relatively quick method for obtaining wall shear stress (WSS) in vivo, a hemodynamic parameter which has shown promise in risk stratification for rupture of cerebrovascular diseases such as intracranial aneurysms and atherosclerotic plaques. The accuracy of such measurements is still largely unknown.
To quantify the accuracy of 4D flow MRI-derived wall shear stress values for intracranial aneurysms and carotid bifurcations.
We performed a review of all original research articles which compared the magnitudes of WSS derived from 4D flow MRI with corresponding values derived from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) within both intracranial aneurysms and carotid bifurcations.
For intracranial aneurysms and carotid bifurcations, 4D flow MRI-derived WSS estimations are generally lower in magnitude compared to WSS derived by CFD methods. These differences are more pronounced in regions of higher WSS. However, the relative distributions of WSS derived from both methods are reasonably similar.
Pooled analysis suggests that WSS magnitudes obtained by 4D flow MRI are underestimated, while the relative distribution is reasonably accurate, the latter being an important factor for determining the natural history of intracranial aneurysms and other cerebrovascular diseases. 4D flow MRI shows enormous potential in providing new risk stratification parameters which could have significant impact on individualized treatment decisions and improved patient outcomes.