# Insights Into Giant Intrapulmonary Teratomas in Infants: A Case Report and Literature Review

## TL;DR

A rare case of a large lung tumor in a one-year-old girl is described, highlighting unique symptoms and diagnostic challenges in infants.

## Contribution

This case report adds to the limited literature on giant intrapulmonary teratomas in infants, emphasizing clinical uniqueness and diagnostic considerations.

## Key findings

- The infant presented with respiratory distress and fever, leading to a delayed diagnosis of intrapulmonary teratoma.
- A chest CT scan confirmed a large, heterogeneous mass in the right hemithorax, which was successfully surgically removed.
- The case underscores the rarity of giant intrapulmonary teratomas in infants and the importance of considering this diagnosis in atypical presentations.

## Abstract

Mature cystic teratomas exhibit a variety of tissues within their pathology. In adults, teratomas typically originate in the gonads. However, one of the rarest origins is the lung, making intrapulmonary teratoma (IPT) exceedingly uncommon. In infants, extragonadal teratomas are more common, with only two cases of IPT reported in the literature. While the clinical presentation in infants and adults is similar, fever appears to be unique to infant cases. We present a case of a one-year-old female who exhibited respiratory distress and fever. A chest X-ray revealed an opaque right hemithorax, initially leading to a diagnosis of pneumonia. Despite intravenous (IV) antibiotic treatment, there was no improvement. A subsequent chest computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a large mass with heterogeneous densities occupying the entire right hemithorax, indicative of IPT. The mass was successfully excised, and the infant was discharged on the 11th postoperative day without complications.

This case adds to the limited literature on giant IPT in infants compared to the two previously published cases.