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Immature gastric teratoma in an infant
N A Muñoz1, H Takehara, N Komi
1First Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Tokushima, Japan.
Insights
A rare gastric teratoma in an infant was successfully removed. This case highlights the importance of early diagnosis and surgical intervention for pediatric gastric tumors.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Surgical Oncology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Gastric teratomas are rare congenital tumors, often presenting in infants with non-specific symptoms.
- Early diagnosis and complete surgical excision are crucial for favorable outcomes in pediatric gastric teratomas.
Observation:
- A 45-day-old infant presented with abdominal distension, anemia, and melena.
- Radiological imaging revealed a large, heterogeneous left-sided abdominal tumor with calcifications.
- Surgical exploration identified a significant exogastric and endogastric tumor involving the stomach wall.
Findings:
- Pathological examination confirmed a gastric teratoma with immature neural elements.
- Complete tumor excision was achieved.
- No recurrence was observed during an eight-year follow-up period.
Implications:
- This case underscores the successful management of pediatric gastric teratoma through prompt diagnosis and surgical extirpation.
- The findings contribute to the understanding of gastric teratoma behavior and long-term prognosis in children.
- Reviewing 88 reported cases provides valuable data for clinical practice and future research in pediatric oncology.
Abstract:
A 45 day old boy presented with progressive abdominal distension, tarry stools and anemia. A plain roentgenogram of the abdomen showed irregular, coarse calcifications in the left upper quadrant. The ultrasonography and computerized tomography of the abdomen revealed a large heterogeneous tumor with calcified parts in the left hemiabdomen. At operation, a 12 cm x 11 cm x 10 cm, multilobular, exogastric and endogastric tumor, including a portion of the anterior wall of the stomach, was extirpated. The pathological examination revealed a gastric teratoma with immature neural elements. Eight years after the total excision of the tumor there has not been any recurrence. This study includes a review of 88 cases (including the present case) of gastric teratoma reported in the English and Japanese literature.