Ovarian teratomas: One year experience in a rural tertiary health care center

Abstract

Ovarian teratomas are said to originate from primordial germ cells and typically contains mature (or less frequently immature) tissue derivatives of three germ cell layers (ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm). This report includes a series of six mature ovarian teratomas, which were diagnosed in a rural tertiary health care centre over a year and highlights three (out of six) unique cases with intestinal dysplasia, gliomatosis peritonei and struma ovarii respectively. Evaluation and possible mechanism of such rare teratomas are discussed with a brief review of literature.