Nasopharyngeal teratoma associated with cleft palate in newborn: report of 2 cases.

Teratoma is a true neoplasm that consists of tissues from all 3 embryonic germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. Nasopharyngeal teratoma is very rare and accounts for only 2% of all teratomas. We present 2 cases of nasopharyngeal teratomas associated with cleft palate in newborns. The first case was a mushroom-like teratoma arising from the base of the sphenoid bone with cleft soft palate. This case was unique and interesting because no earlier paper has reported a teratoma with such a clinical feature. The second case was a teratoma from the nasal septum of an incomplete cleft palate. The combination of the mass and cleft palate made oral feeding difficult. Complete intraoral resection was performed in both cases. Typical components of true teratoma were identified by microscopic examination after operation. Cleft palate reconstruction was performed before 1 year. Clinical follow-up continues, and no recurrence has been observed to date. Copyright (c) 2010. Published by Mosby, Inc.