Mediastinal Mature Cystic Teratoma Presenting as a Painful Neck Swelling-A Case Report

Mature teratomas of the mediastinum, the most common extragonadal germ cell tumors in adults, usually arise within the anterior mediastinum. In contrast, the neck is an uncommon site for a teratoma. We report an unusual case of mediastinal mature cystic teratoma that extended to the neck. A 28-year-old woman presented with progressive, painful neck swelling, which compressed the trachea and deviated it to the right. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest revealed a cystic mass occupying an area from the anterior mediastinum to the cervical area; the lesion consisted of multiple tissue elements, including soft tissue, fluid, fat and calcification. The cystic mass was resected and the pathological diagnosis was a mature cystic teratoma. To the best of our knowledge, a mediastinal teratoma seldom presents as a neck swelling. Although a rare manifestation, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neck masses in adults.