Carotid body tumor as a potential cause of paroxysmal hemicrania

A 70-year-old woman presented to our emergency department with a severe left-sided headache. The headache's location and accompanying symptoms are consistent with paroxysmal hemicrania. On workup, a cervical computed tomography scan incidentally revealed a left carotid body tumor, and the patient was referred to vascular surgery. After the resection of the tumor, the patient recovered well in the following months. Furthermore, she no longer experienced any additional headache episodes, which were likely caused by the carotid body tumor.