mature cystic teratoma of mediastinum compressing the right atrium in a child: a rare case report

Teratomas or Germ cell tumours (GCTs) are interesting because of their obscure origin, bizarre microscopic appearance and unpredictable behaviour. Mediastinal teratoma is a slowly growing and rare tumour found in children that is diagnosed incidentally in asymptomatic patients. Most of the symptoms are related to mass compression effects such as chest pain, cough, respiratory distress and dysphagia. We report a 5-year-old male child who presented with a history of foreign body ingestion, sternal and left upper quadrant pain and vomiting without respiratory distress. The patient was incidentally found to have an anterior mediastinal mass compressing the right atrium and was diagnosed by histopathological examination as having a mature cystic teratoma of the mediastinum. The patient was successfully treated by the surgical resection of the tumour. Keywords: Anterior mediastinum, Children, Histopathology, Surgical treatment, Teratoma