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  • Imaging Casebook
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Imaging Case Book

Congenital gastric teratoma

Journal of Perinatology volume 28, pages 786–787 (2008)Cite this article

A large, (approximately 13 × 11 × 7 centimeters), predominantly cystic mass with fatty elements and calcifications is seen related to the lesser curvature of the stomach and anterior to the pancreas, suggesting either a gastric or retroperitoneal teratoma. The infant was taken to the operating room. The mass was easily separated from the pancreas posteriorly but was attached to the posterior superior aspect of the stomach at the esophagogastric junction. It was dissected free. The pathology demonstrated mature adipose tissue, cartilage, bone, bone marrow, smooth muscle, gastric mucosa, brain, choroid plexus, but also foci of immature brain and skin; diagnosed as a congenital immature teratoma. The gastric resection line was free of tumor.

Teratomas are well-known neoplasms arising from totipotential cells with a capacity to differentiate along all three germ lines—ectodermal, endodermal and mesodermal.1 Gastric teratoma is a very rare condition comprising less than 1% of all childhood teratomas and less than 2% of all neonatal abdominal masses.1 The most common teratomas of childhood are sacrococcygeal (65%), gonadal (20%), mediastinal (10%), intracranial and cervical (5%). Unlike childhood teratomas in other locations, which have a female predominance of 68%, gastric teratomas occur overwhelmingly in males.2

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  1. Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA

    T E Herman & M J Siegel

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  1. T E Herman
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  2. M J Siegel
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Correspondence to T E Herman.

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Herman, T., Siegel, M. Congenital gastric teratoma. J Perinatol 28, 786–787 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2008.85

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