Gold standard for teratoma diagnosis

Gynecologists say that many people think that ovarian teratoma is a kind of freak that women are carrying. In fact, ovarian teratoma is a clinical disease, which is mainly caused by abnormal proliferation of germ cells. The symptoms of ovarian teratoma in patients vary in severity. Here we introduce the gold standard for diagnosing teratoma.

Diagnosis of teratoma:

Most teratomas are exophytic or have palpable masses, and early diagnosis is often possible based on clinical manifestations. Careful abdominal examination and pulmonary teratoma angiography (angiography is a procedure that involves introducing substances with a density higher or lower than that of a structure or organ that lacks natural contrast into the organ or common interstitial space to produce contrast for visualization).

1. Rectal examination

Examination of abdominal, pelvic, and occult sacrococcygeal teratomas is very necessary; X-ray films of the tumor site can reveal abnormal calcifications of bones, teeth, etc. in the tumor to confirm the teratoma, which is mostly mature teratoma; gastrointestinal barium meal, barium enema, and intravenous pyelography can understand the compression and displacement of the gastrointestinal tract or organs such as the kidney, ureter, and bladder in the corresponding parts. CT and MRI examinations should be performed on teratomas that grow rapidly and have a wide range of infiltration to clarify the range of tumor infiltration and its adjacent relationship with important blood vessels and spinal nerves.

If a malignant teratoma is considered, the serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) levels should be tested for diagnosis and prognosis. Ninety-two percent of malignant teratomas have elevated alpha-fetoprotein, while four percent of benign teratomas have abnormal AFP. It was found that patients with elevated AFP in benign teratomas had a significantly increased postoperative recurrence rate.

2. Spine X-ray

Symptoms include a large or obvious widening of the intervertebral cavity, narrowing of the pedicles at the site of the lesion, widening of the distance between the pedicles, concavity of the posterior edge of the vertebral body, and manifestations of spina bifida in some cases.

3. CT and MRI

It has obvious advantages in diagnosing teratomas and can better show the heterogeneity of tumors. On magnetic resonance imaging, teratomas appear as mixed signals, often with complete cystic walls, rich in fat signals, with or without intratumoral enhancement nodules, and usually, in addition to the tumor, are often accompanied by spina bifida or vertebral dysplasia.

Warm reminder: After the operation, the patient may feel general discomfort, dizziness, and incision pain, which is normal. Use analgesics if necessary. Nausea and vomiting may also occur, which are mostly caused by anesthetics and surgical stimulation. After the operation, lie flat without a pillow and tilt the head to one side to prevent headaches, prevent vomitus from being accidentally sucked in and suffocating, and prevent shock.