Retroperitoneal teratomas in infancy are exceedingly rare. In 1943, Arnheim1 reported a case with recovery, that of a 3 month old infant, and he reviewed the literature. He collected 23 additional reported cases; 19 of them were of children under 2 years of age. Progressive enlargement of the abdomen and the presence of an intra-abdominal mass were the salient clinical diagnostic features. Of the 24 cases, 12 were observed at autopsy and 12 at operation. Only 4 infants survived the operation and were cured. The following presentation is the fifth reported of recovery.
REPORT OF A CASE
History.—A female infant 3 months of age was admitted to the Lebanon Hospital on Jan. 19, 1948. The infant was born at full term, weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces (3,317 Gm.). Delivery was spontaneous. At 2 months of age, it was first noted that the child's abdomen was unusually large, but