Ovarian teratoma. Clinical case

Ovarian teratomas in girls account for 1-5% of all abdominal tumors. They are generally benign tumors, although they can become malignant; they originate from germ cells and are composed of cells from one or more of the three germ layers—endoderm, mesoderm or ectoderm. They can appear at any age, but their highest incidence is at 9-12 years of age and when they appear at an older age, they have a higher risk of malignancy.

Teratomas contain well-differentiated tissues; they can be both gonadal and extragonadal; they can include bone, dermoid appendages, respiratory and/or gastrointestinal epithelium, hair, teeth, nails or any other type of tissue. Teratomas are classified as mature and immature.

Most cases are asymptomatic, and patients are diagnosed incidentally by physical examination or abdominal ultrasound performed for another reason; therefore, early diagnosis of this disease is almost always difficult.