Comparison of sedoanalgesia versus general anesthesia in surgical resection of carotid body tumors: A retrospective cohort study

Background/Aim: Carotid body tumors (CBTs) are very rare. There is no uniform agreement on the method of anesthesia according to the Shamblin classification. The aim of this study was to report and compare outcomes and complications of different anesthesia methods according to the Shamblin classification in patients operated for CBTs. Methods: The data of 52 patients (40 males, 12 females) diagnosed with CBT Shamblin Type 1 or Type 2 and surgically treated were enrolled. General anesthesia (Group G) and sedoanalgesia (Group S) were administered in 35 and 17 patients, respectively. We retrospectively compared the surgical outcomes and complications between the groups to evaluate which anesthetic approach was more appropriate for early recognition of complications, hemodynamic stability, and surgical satisfaction in CBT surgeries. Results Group S patients were more stable hemodynamically. Hypertension, tachycardia, hypotension were significantly more frequent in Group G (P<0.001). Intraoperative blood loss was significantly less in the Group S (P=0.024). Both patient and surgeon satisfaction scores were significantly higher in Group S (P=0.071). In Group G, transient ischemic attack developed in 1 patient, postoperative dysphagia developed in 4 patients due to possible nerve injury during resection. Deviation and ptosis of the tongue due to facial nerve damage developed in 3 patients in Group G and in 2 patients in Group S (P=0.028). Conclusions: Sedoanalgesia may be more helpful for patients compared to general anesthesia in tumor surgery of patients with CBT classified as Shamblin Type 1 and 2.