50 gram mouth tumour removed

Chennai: A team of five doctors at the institute of child health, Egmore, operated on a two-day-old baby girl and surgically removed a rare tumour in the mouth, weighing around 50 gram.

The baby, born on November 9, was referred to the Egmore hospital from a corporation hospital in north Chennai.

“When we examined the newborn, we found that this was a case of oral teratoma (a tumour consisting of different types of tissue). The newborn had severe breathing difficulties. As it was a huge tumour, it blocked the entire breathing passage, and the tongue and lower jaw were split into two,” said Dr S.V. Senthil Natahan, head of department of paediatric surgery.

After a two-hour-long surgery, the tumour was removed successfully, but the baby needs many reconstruction surgeries. “It has affected the entire midline, from the nose, tongue and the lower jaw. Usually, such teratoma occurs in the midline, but can occur anywhere,” explained Dr Nathan, adding that the hospital has seen only 10 such cases in the last three decades. The cause is mostly genetic, he observed.

“We do see 5-10 cases of teratoma every year as the incidence of teratoma is one in 1 lakh live births, but oral teratoma is the rarest,” said paediatric surgeon, Dr Shankara Bharathi, adding it is more common in girls.

Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medicine and Pathology, says an oropharyngeal teratoma (epignathus) is a rare malformation composed of cells from all three germinal layers. Epignathus arises from the palate or pharynx and protrudes from the mouth. Medical literature says only 15 cases have been reported so far.

Doctors at the hospital said the baby could lead a normal life and be discharged in a couple of days.