A rare complication of rupture of a mediastinal Teratoma into the bronchus: A case report

Abstract

Background: Germ cell tumours (GCT) are tumours arising from primordial germ cells. Gonadal and extragonadal GCT are infrequent in childhood occurring at a rate of 2.4 cases per million children accounting for 2-3 % of paediatric malignancies with most common subtype being a matured Teratoma. Case presentation: We present a case of a 10-year-old female child who presented to the emergency department of a tertiary care centre with complaints of cough with massive expectoration of blood of approximately 200 ml in quantity which on imaging revealed a left anterior mediastinal mass which was managed by left lateral thoracotomy with a non-anatomical left sided pulmonary lobectomy which on histopathology was diagnosed to be a case of mature teratoma. Conclusion: This case report describes a unique presentation of extra-gonadal mediastinal teratoma which presented as a rare complication with rupture into the left bronchus. It emphasizes caution and a high clinical suspicion is required in managing cases of varied presentations of teratomas.

Keywords

• mediastinal teratoma
• germ cell tumours (gct)
• primordial germ cells