Head and neck paragangliomas are rare. They are usually slow-growing, benign, non-catecholamine secreting tumours, traditionally treated with surgical excision. Complications of surgical excision include lower cranial nerve palsies, stroke and death.

A retrospective case note analysis was conducted of patients with head and neck paragangliomas treated with a watch-and-scan policy from March 2003 to September 2015, and the relevant literature was reviewed.

Fifteen head and neck paragangliomas were identified. None of the patients developed a new lower cranial nerve palsy or progression of their presenting hearing loss during the follow-up period. Five patients displayed an increase in maximum linear dimension of 4 mm over an average of 57.4 months. A review of the literature showed that a watch-and-surveillance scan policy is evolving as a treatment option for head and neck paragangliomas without malignant risk factors.

Readily available surveillance scanning in head and neck paragangliomas enables the monitoring of head and neck paragangliomas, which may allow for avoidance of major surgery.