Prenatal Exophthalmia Revealing a Postnatal Orbital Teratoma

Teratomas are congenital tumors of stem cells derived from the three germ layers. They are frequently located in the sacrococcygeal region. Orbital teratoma is rare with less than 70 cases reported until 2016. We report the case of prenatal exophthalmia discovered by ultrasound exam which turned out to be a teratoma postnatally. The newborn in our case was female, just as described in the literature. Treatment consisted of total removal of the teratoma and the eyeball. Reconstructive surgery remains a big challenge since our medical technology is limited.

A prenatal exophthalmia on fetal ultrasound should make us think of a teratoma, even if it is very rare. Fetal orbital teratoma may be associated with fetal survival. The infant will benefit from a reconstructive surgery of the orbit.