Glomus jugulare tumours with metastases are rare as the diagnosis of metastases in this condition can be difficult.
In the past this diagnosis has been made on histology of the metastatic lesions which were identified on clinical grounds. This is one of the reasons why there have been only 20 reported cases in the literature up to 1990 (Johnstone et al., 1990). This case report examines the role of meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy in the diagnosis of metastases. MIBG scintigraphy is an injected radionucleotide isotope scanning technique which is cheap, non-invasive, sensitive as well as being a specific investigation for identifying sites of ectopic neuroendocrine tissue. It may also have a role in the treatment of these tumours.
