Bilateral Glomus Caroticum With Rare Metastatic Sites Demonstrated on 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT

Abstract

A 39-year-old woman with bilateral carotid body tumors was referred to 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT for further evaluation. Unknown metastatic sites with increased 68Ga-DOTATATE uptake were detected in the left cervical lymph node, liver, and bone. Carotid body paragangliomas (CBPs) represent less than 0.5% of all head and neck tumors and are rarely seen as metastatic disease. 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT is a substantial imaging method for primary staging of CBPs, revealing unknown lesions, changing the treatment approaches and determining prognosis. We aimed to present the contribution of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT to patient management in a rare case of bilateral CBPs with rare metastatic sites.