Abstract

Teratoma is a type of benign germ cell tumor that often contains several different types of tissue such as hair, muscle and bone, and these tissues arise from the three germinal layers. It occurs most often in the tailbones of children, the ovaries of women and the testicles of men. Primary rectal teratoma is extremely rare. We report here on a case of a 49-year-old woman with a primary rectal teratoma, and this was incidentally found during routine health screening. The rectal teratoma was a 15 mm-sized pedunculated polyp with a short stalk at the rectum, about 15 cm from anal verge as seen on CT colonography. On sigmoidoscopy and EUS, a fat and calcium containing well-defined polypoid lesion was noted in the upper rectum, with a narrow stalk attached to the colonic wall. The tumor was successfully excised by endoscopic polypectomy in order to obtain the histologic diagnosis and administer the proper treatment. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2009;39:308-312)

• Keywords: Teratoma, Rectum, EUS, Endoscopic polypectomy