Massive lingual teratoma in a neonate

Hassan S, Sidek DS, Shah Jihan WD, Phutane G, Mutum SS
Correspondence: Dr Shahid Hassan, shahid@kb.usm.my

ABSTRACT
Teratoma of the tongue is a rare entity. We present a male newborn with massive lingual teratoma and cleft palate, which surprisingly did not cause immediate airway obstruction. This case illustrates a huge mass in the oral cavity, which was missed on antenatal ultrasonography because it did not present with polyhydramnios. The mass was excised under general anaesthesia. Histopathologically, it consisted of all three layers of embryonic elements with predominantly glial tissue. Postoperatively, the patient developed hypoglossal nerve palsy, and no recurrence was detected after four years.

Keywords: airway obstruction, lingual teratoma, tongue teratoma, tongue tumour
Singapore Med J 2007; 48(8): e212–e214