Introduction:
Intrapericardial teratomas come from three different germ layers3. They are very rare, (incidence of 0.05-0.15%) but very aggressive3,4,6. Their early detection and interventions are very important for effective management of the fetus. Most intrapericardial teratomas are attached to the aorta and tend to compress the right side of the heart structures1,5. As a result, fetuses can present with ascites, anasarca, and hydrops fetalis2,5,8. Once evidence of hydrops is present in a fetus, the survival rate decreases when compared to a non-hydrops fetus (citation).
Therefore, early detection and good prenatal monitoring is essential. Prenatal period detection of intrapericardial teratomas is useful as interventions such as pericardiocentesis, or thoraco/pericardio-amniotic shunt can be done2,5,8. Tumor excision is the definitive treatment as its rapid growth could lead to right atrium, superior vena cava, and inferior vena cava compression7. This compression leads to ascites, hydrops fetalis, and/or anasarca. In our unique case a 2 month-old female did not present with the usual features of intrapericardial teratomas such as hydrops fetalis, anasarca, or ascites, and instead presented with cardiac arrest after an upper respiratory infection.