[Surgery approach of mediastinal benign teratomas in childhood]

Benign teratomas are benign tumors of germinative cells which originate from gonad tissue, and are primarily located in the gonads (ovary and testes). Less frequently they may appear extragonadally, mostly in mediastinum region, where they constitute 10% of all tumors in that area. Surgical aproach to treating these teratomas is completely removing mediastinal benign teratomas by anterolateral thoracotomy or transversal sternotomy. The following case report describes teratomas localized in anterior and middle mediastinum, which are surgically completely removed and pathohystologically described as mature cystic teratoma.