Surgical Resection of a Mediastinal Teratoma Adherent to the Pericardium

Mediastinal teratomas, a rare form of germ cell tumors in children, account for only 4.3% of all germ cell tumors. In most cases, patients with mediastinum tumors have no symptoms (53%), and their masses are frequently diagnosed incidentally on routine chest radiography. In the literature, the outcomes of surgical excision for the treatment of mediastinal teratomas and the results are inconclusive. We present a one-year old male child who experienced recurrent upper respiratory tract infections and was diagnosed with a benign mature teratoma adherent to the pericardium. The child underwent surgical excision. In conclusion, mediastinal teratomas located in the anterior mediastinum should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis in children whose chest x-rays reveal a mass or unspecific opacity in the mediastinum. These are usually benign with a good response to total resection. Thoracotomy is one of the appropriate surgical approaches.