Benign Intrapulmonary Teratoma

Abstract

A 17-year-old girl presented with a 2-month history of right-sided chest pain, cough, expectoration, and fever. A week before presentation, the patient had received generalized treatment for cough and fever at another clinic and was hospitalized with a preliminary diagnosis of lung abscess. Conservative treatment for lung abscess, lung biopsy, and antibiotic treatment based on the biopsy results yielded no improvement, and the patient was referred to our institution. Computed tomography at our facility showed a cavitary mass in the right upper lobe of the lung, and right upper lobectomy through a right thoracotomy was performed. On resection, the mass was found to be a mature teratoma with golden hairs and teeth. Germ cell tumor arising from lung parenchyma is extremely rare, and only a few cases of choriocarcinoma and yolk sac tumor have been reported to date. In our patient, diagnosis of the lesion was achieved by open thoracotomy, and the bulk of the tumor was resected by right upper lobectomy. Although intrathoracic teratomas are common, benign intrapulmonary teratomas seldom occur. The incidence of teratomas is the same in men and in women. These tumors generally are identified when associated complications such as lung abscess, bronchiectasis, empyema, and hemoptysis are being investigated. Preoperative diagnoses are usually inaccurate. Most of these tumors are benign and resectable. Our case illustrates all the typical features of a teratoma.