Vaginal presentation of a fetiform teratoma

Abstract

Fetiform teratoma (homunculus) is a highly unusual subset of teratomas which resembles a malformed fetus. A 38-year-old woman presented with pelvic pressure and vaginal discharge was found to have a large vaginal mass covered by skin and hair. Her past surgical history included cesarean hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy for placenta accreta spectrum disorder. She underwent resection of the vaginal mass where gross examination demonstrated a globoid mass with two appendages. Although the diagnosis of fetus in fetu was considered grossly, no well-formed vertebral column or solid organ formation was identified as would be expected in a fetus in fetu. Histology confirmed the presence of tissue from all three embryonic germ layers, some of which were unusually well-organized leading to a diagnosis of a vaginal fetiform teratoma.

Keywords

• Fetiform teratoma
• Homunculus
• Vaginal teratoma