Technique | Patients, n (%) | Comments |
US and Doppler neck exam | 7 (100) | It was accurate in (n = 6, 85.7%) of cases. One case of CBT was falsely diagnosed as an enlarged lymph node. |
CT scan of the neck with iv contrast (Figure 4) | 2 (28.6) | It provided more detailed description of the tumour extent, encasement of carotid arteries and local invasion. |
MRI of the neck | 0 (0) | It was the least used imaging method despite its well-known advantages. |
Carotid arteriography | 5 (71.4) | It used to be the gold standard test for CBT. It has merits and demerits. |
Conventional angiography | 3 (42.6) | |
CT angiography (Figure 5) | 2 (28.6) | |
FNAC | 0 (0) |
|
Incisional biopsy | 1 (14.3) | It was risky. |
Serum or urinary catecholamine assay | 0 (0) | It was not done, although it was indicated particularly in the hypertensive patient. |
Routine blood tests | 7 (100) | CBC, FBS, BU, S. Creatinine, bleeding and clotting times, and virology studies. |