Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases  1999;47(3):400-405

doi:10.4046/trd.1999.47.3.400

Spontaneous Rupture of Mediastinal Teratoma into Adjacent Tissues.

Jeong Bae JEON 1 ; Chung Hwan CHUNG ; Tai Hoon MOON ; Jae Wha CHO ; Jeong Seon RYU ; Seung Min KWAK ; Hong Lyeol LEE ; Chul Ho CHO ; Hye Seung HAN

Affiliations

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Keywords

Teratoma; Mediastinum; Hemoptysis; Pericardial effusion; Pleural effusion

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

Mediastinal teratomas are rare and represent less than 10 per cent of all mediastinal tumors. Almost all arise in the anterosuperior mediastinal compartment, and most symptoms, when present, result from compression of adjacent structures. They contain different tissues derived from all three germinal layers, with the prevalence of ectodermal elements which can include hair, teeth and sebaceous material. Benign teratomas may rupture into adjacent organs. Up to 36% of all mediastinal teratomas rupture, most frequently into the lung and bronchial tree, followed by the pleural space, pericardial space, or great vessels. The signs and symptoms of a ruptured teratoma vary with the structures involved. We report a case of mediastinal teratoma ruptured spontaneously in a 18 year old female who experienced 4 or 5 times of hemoptysis for 1 year and sudden onset of pleural effusion, pericardial effusion and pneumonia.