Benign cystic teratoma of the lung

A young man with recurrent cough and hemoptysis was found at thoracotomy to have benign intrapulmonary cystic teratoma. Although benign cystic teratomas are a common mediastinal neoplasm, they rarely occur within the lung parenchyma. Fewer than 30 cases have been reported in the literature. Occasionally, patients present with bronchiectasis, abscess, or pneumonia in addition to cough and hemoptysis. The patient in this report had little evidence of infection and recovered rapidly following surgical excision of the mass.