Benign cystic teratoma in the omentum: a mechanism of its development

Benign cystic teratoma rarely occurs in the omentum. The pathogenesis of the occurrence of this tumor in the omentum is unclear. A case of this entity is presented in which the pathological findings indicate that the omental benign cystic teratoma detached from the left ovary, leaving only a small portion of residual ovary in the left adnexa. Additional findings in this case were a ventral hernia, intra-abdominal adhesions, a second benign cystic teratoma in the right ovary, and a ruptured mucocele of the appendix. The unusual coexistence of these lesions led to the erroneous impression at operation that the omental tumor represented metastatic carcinoma.