Surgical management of palatal teratoma (epignathus) with the use of virtual reconstruction and 3D models: a case report and literature review
- Author:
Cynthia Minerva GONZALEZ-CANTU
1
;
Pablo Juan MORENO-PEÑA
;
Mayela Guadalupe SALAZAR-LARA
;
Pablo Patricio Flores GARCÍA
;
Fernando Félix MONTES-TAPIA
;
Victor Hugo CERVANTES-KARDASCH
;
Yanko CASTRO-GOVEA
Author Information
- Publication Type:Case Report
- From:Archives of Plastic Surgery 2021;48(5):518-523
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Epignathus is a rare congenital orofacial teratoma that arises from the sphenoid region of the palate or the pharynx. It occurs in approximately 1:35,000 to 1:200,000 live births representing 2% to 9% of all teratomas. We present the case of a newborn of 39.4 weeks of gestation with a tumor that occupied the entire oral cavity. The patient was delivered by cesarean section. Oral resection was managed by pediatric surgery. Plastic surgery used virtual 3-dimensional models to establish the extension, and depth of the tumor. Bloc resection and reconstruction of the epignathus were performed. The mass was diagnosed as a mature teratoma associated with cleft lip and palate, nasoethmoidal meningocele that conditions hypertelorism, and a pseudomacrostoma. Tridimensional technology was applied to plan the surgical intervention. It contributed to a better understanding of the relationships between the tumor and the adjacent structures. This optimized the surgical approach and outcome.
