Prenatal diagnosis of a fetal intracranial tumor

The commonest fetal intracranial tumor is the teratoma. The prognosis is poor with death usually occurring shortly after birth. Modern high resolution ultrasound scanners facilitate examination of the cranial contents, allowing earlier diagnosis.

A fetus with a congenital intracranial teratoma presenting with a disproportionately enlarged head at 36 weeks' gestation is presented. The infant died of respiratory failure within 24 h of birth. On postmortem examination the histologic report revealed an immature teratoma. This article describes the prenatal sonographic diagnosis of a rare case of intracranial immature teratoma in a fetus at 36 weeks' gestation.