Early second-trimester diagnosis of intracranial teratoma.

Congenital brain tumors are rare and, whether diagnosed prenatally or postnatally, the most frequent type is teratoma. Prenatal diagnosis relies on sonography and magnetic resonance imaging, and is usually achieved during the second or third trimester. We report a case of an intracranial tumor diagnosed in the early second trimester. The diagnosis had been suspected at first-trimester routine sonography, which showed a compressive intracranial mass with mild vascularization. Because of the poor prognosis, termination of pregnancy was discussed with the parents and was carried out at 14 weeks of gestation. Postmortem examination provided a diagnosis of right frontal immature teratoma. Copyright (c) 2008 ISUOG.