Benign solid teratoma of the ovary with rupture into the rectum

The authors present an unusual case of benign, solid, complex teratoma of the ovary with rupture into the rectum. A young woman, investigated for bowel problems, was found to have a prolapsing tumour in the upper rectum. A diagnosis of benign solid teratoma of the ovary was made by histologic examination of the surgical specimen; the tumour had perforated the rectal wall and protruded into the bowel lumen, a most unusual complication for this type of tumour. Pararectal teratomas can arise from either the ovaries or the soft tissues of the sacrococcygeal region. The latter do, on rare occasions, perforate the rectum. The possible mechanisms of rectal perforation by these teratomas are briefly discussed.