Publications
Mature occipital teratoma in a neonate
A.M. Shubha , Kanishka Das, S.R. Raghu , Abstract: Occipital teratomas are anecdotal and may mimic meningoencephaloceles in children. We describe a neonate presenting with an occipital mass that was diagnosed to be a mature teratoma and discuss its differentiation from neural tube defects in the region. Mature occipital teratoma in a neonate
Teratomas are the commonest type of congenital tumors, often in the dorsal midline, and arise from totipotent germ cells displaced early in embryogenesis. The overall frequency of a teratoma is 1 in 13,000 live births [1]. Commonly occurring in the sacrococcygeal region in neonates, teratomas of the head and neck constitute only 1–3.5% of all cases [2]. Occipital teratoma is even rarer with a few cases reported till date. This report describes a neonate presenting with an occipital mass that
Case report A 48 h term male neonate weighing 3.2 kg and born by normal vaginal hospital delivery was referred to this centre with a swelling behind the neck. He was born to non-consanguineous parents and antenatal ultrasonography and maternal alphafetoprotein were not done. The general examination was unremarkable. He had a single 7 cm × 5 cm wide based pedunculated occipital mass with a central 3 cm × 2 cm raw area but no recognizable CSF leak (Fig. 1). It was differentially soft and hard at places; the head
Discussion Teratomas are the commonest type of congenital midline tumours. During early embryogenesis, primordial germ cells migrating from the yolk sac get trapped within the developing midline structures and evolve into germ cell tumours including teratomas [1]. Willis defined a ‘teratoma’ as a true tumour or neoplasm composed of multiple tissues of a kind foreign to the part in which it arises [3]. Russell and Rubinstein described teratomas as tumours that contain ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal
Conclusion Neonatal occipital teratomas are rare and can mimic the comparatively commoner meningoencephaloceles. These two entities must be differentiated to tailor the management and achieve optimal outcome. To the best of our knowledge, this is the youngest neonate with a mature occipital teratoma reported in published English literature.
