ABSTRACT
This article reviews the current literature of mediastinal tumors as the cause of
nonimmune hydrops fetalis (NIHF), the outcomes of reported cases, and a general overview
of NIHF including diagnosis, workup, and a management algorithm, with particular attention
made to intrathoracic lesions and gestation age. We present a unique case report of
a premature neonate who initially presented with NIHF at birth and was subsequently
diagnosed with a germ cell mediastinal teratoma as the etiology of NIHF. The patient
survived for 50 days while having undergone surgical resection and chemotherapy during
the hospital course. The patient represents the first reported case of a mediastinal
tumor as the etiology of NIHF in the neonatal period and only one of three cases that
have been reported to survive in the neonatal period. Survival is dependent on the
thoracic lesion's size, location, resectability, impact on the growth and development
of other vital organs, and in the case of tumors, malignant potential. Though the
combination of mediastinal teratoma and NIHF is rare, it should be included in the
diagnostic evaluation of a newborn with NIHF.
KEYWORDS
Mediastinal teratoma - nonimmune hydrops fetalis - newborn - NIHF
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Agnieszka WesolowskiM.D.
Department of Perinatal-Neonatal Medicine, Emory University
2015 Uppergate Drive, 3rd Floor, Atlanta, GA 30322
Email: awesolowskiaugust@yahoo.com
