Vascular Supply of Laryngeal Paragangliomas: Case Report and Systematic Review

ABSTRACT Objective Laryngeal paragangliomas are rare, highly vascularized, neuroendocrine tumors. Although surgical resection of these vascular neoplasms is associated with a known risk of significant hemorrhage, the vascular supply of laryngeal paragangliomas has been poorly characterized. Data Sources MEDLINE Ovid, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Methods Databases were searched using specific strategies. English articles describing laryngeal paragangliomas with named vascular supply were included. Data from articles that met inclusion criteria were extracted and analyzed. Results Twenty‐three articles met inclusion criteria, including 26 laryngeal paragangliomas with named vascular supply, with one additional case reported by the authors. Mean age was 50.2 years, and 19 (70.4%) patients were female. Twenty‐five (92.6%) laryngeal paragangliomas were supraglottic, while 2 (7.4%) subglottic. Vascular supply was most commonly from the superior thyroid artery in 23 (85.2%) cases, and 4 cases (11.5%) reported bilateral vascular supply. Twenty‐six (96.3%) paragangliomas were surgically resected, with preoperative angiography and embolization performed in 14 (51.9%) cases. Conclusions Laryngeal paragangliomas are highly vascular tumors, which may have bilateral vascular supply in 11.5% of reported cases. Routine angiography with embolization during preoperative evaluation is recommended to assess and control potential contralateral contributions and reduce intraoperative hemorrhage during surgical resection.