A carotid body tumor (also known as a chemodectoma or paraganglioma) is a rare, highly vascular mass that forms within the carotid sheath at the base of the carotid bifurcation. Tumors are often benign but may cause impairment of adjacent cranial nerves resulting in loss of associated function.

The purpose of this illustration is to teach the main steps of the surgery with special attention paid to the reaction of tissue to the instruments and other forces applied to it. The illustration was produced in collaboration with surgeons in the department of otolaryngology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.