Teratoma in human tail lipoma.
We report a case of a rare congenital teratoma that developed in a lipoma attached to a remnant human tail. A male newborn baby presented with a large, 3-cm mass with an open margin, which pedunculated from a tail attached to the midline skin of the coccygeal area. Magnetic resonance images demonstrated multiple sacral spinal bifida without cord tethering, and also showed neural roots and a lipoma and teratoma with peripheral homogeneous high density and internal low density on T(2)-weighted images. Intraoperatively, we found and dissected two nerve roots from the filum terminale which extended into the mass. Pathologic examination of the mass revealed abnormal differentiation of respiratory epithelium and squamous cell metaplasia along the open margin of the mass, and mainly lipoma in the rest of the mass. We suggest that this case could support the hypothesis of transient teratomatous cells in the pathogenesis of the spina bifida with lumbosacral lipoma.
Department of Neurosurgery, Kandong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, Seoul, Korea.
Se-Hyuck
SH
Park
Jee Soon
JS
Huh
Ki Hong
KH
Cho
Yong Sam
YS
Shin
Se Hyck
SH
Kim
Young Hwan
YH
Ahn
Kyung Gi
KG
Cho
Soo Han
SH
Yoon
D003050:Coccyx / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008067:Lipoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008679:Metaplasia; D012447:Sacrum / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016136:Spina Bifida Occulta / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013724:Teratoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery