[Cystic teratoma of the neck]

Teratomas of the neck are very rare, and up to now only a small number of cases has been described (10 in adults), while in children it is a more frequent finding (132 described cases). It is judged that up to 4% of all teratomas in children are located in the cervicothyroid region. The paper presents a case of a cystic teratoma of the neck in a male child of 1.5 years of age, which gradually increased in it's size during the course of 12 months prior to operation. The tumor had the dimensions 3.7 x 3.2 x 2.7 cm, it was multicystic, and clinically it gave the impression of a bronchial cyst. Histologically the tumor contained elements of all three primary embryonic germ layers.