Orbital Teratoma: A rare congenital tumour

Abstract

Background: Orbital teratomas are congenital, unilateral germ cell tumors, which are present at birth with moderate to massive proptosis. The rare tumour has to be managed individually and is at times difficult. Case: A female child in her 2 nd day of life was brought to our department with complains of forward bulging of the left eye which was noticed since the time of her birth. Observation: Examination and investigations revealed a mass with scattered foci of calcification. The mass was causing expansion of left orbit with thinning and scalloping of bony boundaries of left orbit with no intracranial component. The scan suggests the diagnosis of orbital teratoma which was further confirmed by histopathological examination. Conclusion: The rare tumour presents a challenge in management. The aim of management depends upon the extent of tumour, preservation of vision whenever possible, promotion of normal orbital growth and cosmesis.

Prenatal Exophthalmia Revealing a Postnatal Orbital Teratoma

“…Common surgical treatment is the exeresis of the tumor while sparing the eyeball whenever possible [6,[17][18][19][20][21]. However, exenteration often appears to be the only therapeutic option [3,11,22].…”

Orbital teratoma in the foetus: a rare case without proptosis

“…Congenital orbital teratomas are quite rare. They are often reported in female infants and children with characteristic proptosis [ 1 – 3 ]. However, information on foetal cases is very limited (see Table 1 ).…”

“…We suspect that the absence of proptosis in our case was because the disease was in its early stage. Although orbital teratoma is often associated with rapid enlargement soon after birth [ 3 , 5 ], the absence of proptosis can lead to confusion and a delay in diagnosis. Therefore, screening of the retro-orbital space is essential for diagnosis of orbital teratoma, especially in cases without proptosis.…”

Malignant glioma arising from orbital teratoma in childhood

“…To the Editor, Teratomas contain components of three germ layers (endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm) and usually found in the gonadal regions, pineal gland and mediastinum. Orbita is an uncommon location for teratoma and only individual case reports can be cited in medical literature 1,2 . Here, a pediatric patient with an orbital tumor diagnosed malignant glioma arising from malignant teratoma is reported.…”