A large teratoma of the hard palate: a case report

Congenital teratoma is a rare malformation, and few papers have been published about it. We present a large teratoma that arose from the hard palate in a neonate. The obstructive mass caused maternal polyhydramnios and was identified prenatally by ultrasonography. The mother went into labour at 35 week's gestation at home. The child was in respiratory distress as a result of airway obstruction, and a tracheostomy was done when she was 4 hours old. She also had major cardiac abnormalities. The palatal mass was removed successfully at 4 weeks of age. The typical components of a teratoma were identified including immature neural glial tissue.