Clinical and radiographic considerations of sacrococcygeal teratomas: an analysis of 26 new cases and review of the literature.

Teratomas develop most frequently in the sacrococcygeum and are often diagnosed by simple observation. Most sacrococcygeal teratomas are benign, and evident in the newborn. Females are affected four times more often than males, but affected males are more likely to have malignant tumors. Benign teratomas are generally noninvasive, cystic, and contain calcifications. Surgery is the primary, usually curative treatment, although malignant tumors can be treated effectively only by early diagnosis and removal. Twenty-six cases of sacrococcygeal teratoma were reviewed.