Spinelli H M, Criscuolo G R, Tripps M, Buckley P J
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Ann Plast Surg. 1993 Nov;31(5):453-8. doi: 10.1097/00000637-199311000-00013.
Teratomas are rare germ cell tumors that comprise approximately 1% of orbital tumors in childhood. Review of the world literature revealed only 51 well-documented patients with true congenital orbital teratomas. We present a newborn girl with a massive orbital teratoma that caused significant orbital enlargement with inferior and lateral displacement of the zygoma and a thinning of the orbital roof. The ipsilateral maxilla and palate were depressed inferiorly. No bony invasion was seen despite its massive size. A craniofacial approach was used to safely and completely extirpate this tumor. Histological sections demonstrated derivatives of all three germ cell layers. Recommendations for definitive treatment and a review of the literature are presented.