Spontaneous rupture of mediastinal cystic teratoma into the pleural cavity: Report of two cases and review of the literature

The authors report on two female patients aged 12 and 14 years, who spontan eously developed a rupture of benign mediastinal cystic teratoma into the r ight pleural cavity. They presented with acute onset of severe chest pain a nd respiratory distress. The tumors were completely resected by thoracotomy . The serum and pleural fluid levels of carcinoembryonic antigens, CA-125 a nd CA19-9 Were invariably elevated, then decreased to normal range after th e surgical resection. Rapid diagnosis of this extremely rare complication i s important because it may progress to a life-threatening condition.