Fine needle aspiration cytology diagnosis of a case of carotid body tumour

Carotid body tumour (CBT) is a paraganglioma arising from the chief cells of the carotid body, which is situated at the bifurcation of the common carotid artery. We describe the fine needle aspiration cytology findings of one such tumour in a 27-year-old man. The aspirate was haemorrhagic with clusters of round to oval cells showing moderate anisokaryosis. Delicate fibrous strands with spindle cells were observed within these clusters. Based on these cytologic findings and the location of the swelling, a diagnosis of CBT was made. The mass was excised and the diagnosis was confirmed on histopathological examination. Our case report adds to the existing literature on cytologic diagnosis of CBT, further attesting to its safety and accuracy.