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Glomus tumors — also known as paragangliomas — of the head and neck are benign (noncancerous) but locally invasive tumors that arise from glomus cells.
In the head and neck, glomus tumor tissue is found in the jugular bulb, middle ear, and carotid artery. Of these sites, tumors are most common in the jugular bulb, which is a region of the jugular vein positioned immediately below the middle ear. These glomus tumors may grow into the middle ear and brain.
Tumors originating in glomus cells of the middle ear are called glomus tympanicum tumors. Glomus tympanicum tumors are the most common vascular tumors of the middle ear.
Glomus tumors may also arise in deep neck (parapharyngeal) space along the course of the vagus nerve. These are called glomus vagale tumors.
Glomus tumors are highly vascular and usually solitary.
Because they are usually benign and slow-growing, mortality rates are low (less than 15 percent). However, their growth can cause significant damage to surrounding tissue and nerves.
Common symptoms of glomus tumors are hearing loss and facial palsies.
At UPMC, the preferred treatment is a transmastoid surgical approach to remove the tumor.
In addition, Gamma Knife® radiosurgery may be used as the first treatment option or as an additional treatment after surgery.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a painless procedure that uses hundreds of highly focused radiation beams to target tumors and lesions within the brain, with no surgical incision.
To diagnose a glomus tumor, your doctor will:
Symptoms of glomus tumors depend on their location: middle ear, jugular bulb, deep neck, or carotid artery.
Glomus tympanicum (middle ear)
Glomus jugulare (jugular bulb)
Symptoms are similar to those of glomus tympanicum and may include:
Compression of nearby cranial nerves may result in:
In rare cases, these tumors may produce the hormone norepinephrine, which may cause:
Glomus vagale (deep neck space)
Carotid body tumors (carotid artery)
Diagnostic tests may include:
In the middle ear, most glomus tympanicum tumors present with hearing loss and pulsatile tinnitus and are found during a physical exam, appearing as a reddish-blue mass behind the eardrum.
At UPMC, the preferred surgical approach for glomus tumors is the transmastoid approach (behind the ear), performed by a team of experts including a neurosurgeon and neurotologist.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a painless procedure that uses hundreds of highly focused radiation beams to target tumors and lesions within the brain, with no surgical incision.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is used to prevent further growth of the glomus tumor and maintain current neurological and hearing function.
The Gamma Knife may be used as the first treatment option, particularly in cases where the tumor is not causing mass effect, or as an adjuvant treatment after partial removal of glomus tumors.
As the nation's leading provider of Gamma Knife procedures, UPMC has treated more than 12,000 patients with tumors, vascular malformations, pain, and other functional problems.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
Dr. L. Dade Lunsford discusses Gamma Knife Radiosurgery.
200 Lothrop Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-647-8762 (UPMC)
800-533-8762 (UPMC)
