Infected primary retroperitoneal teratoma presenting as a subhepatic abscess in a postpartum woman

Li, Fuyu; Munireddy, Sanjay; Jiang, Lisheng; Cheng, Nansheng; Mao, Hui; Pawlik, Timothy M.

doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2009.03.018

« Previous Next »The American Journal of Surgery
Volume 199, Issue 2 , Pages e27-e28, February 2010

Infected primary retroperitoneal teratoma presenting as a subhepatic abscess in a postpartum woman

Fuyu Li, M.D.
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 02 885422468; fax: +86 02 885422463
Sanjay Munireddy, M.D.
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA
Lisheng Jiang, M.D.
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Nansheng Cheng, M.D.
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Hui Mao, M.D.
- Department of Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Timothy M. Pawlik, M.D.
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA

Received 21 January 2009; received in revised form 19 March 2009

Abstract

It is highly unusual for a 20-cm retroperitoneal teratoma to present as a subhepatic abscess with septic shock in a postpartum woman. We present a case of a multilocular cystic teratoma densely adherent to adjacent viscera and vessels. Because of the complexity of the case and the clinical condition of the patient, a 2-stage operation was employed for this special case. An initial emergency drainage effectively relieved symptoms of acute infection and facilitated the 2nd-stage resection of the tumor.

Keywords: Teratoma, Abscess, Postpartum