Teratoma of the temporal bone

Mature teratomas are histologically benign tumors containing all of the three germinal layers. Only 3.5% of teratomas arise in the head and neck region, and only a few occur in the petrous portion of the temporal bone. We would like to report a case of a young woman with mature teratoma of the temporal bone with unusual presentation of unilateral facial nerve paralysis and total hearing loss. The tumor was removed in toto using a trans-labyrinthine approach.