[A case of intra- and extracranial development of a craniofacial teratoma. Excision during the neonatal period through a mixed cranio-facial approach (author's transl)].

A newborn infant was found to have a laterocervical swelling invading the floor of the mouth. Exploration of the mass revealed that there was invasion of the left side of the soft palate and, more particularly, a prominence in the temporal fossa causing an obvious cranio-facial asymmetry. Radiological and neuroradiological investigations demonstrated the presence of a tumor destroying the greater wing of the sphenoid, invading the left side of the temporal fossa, extending into the pterygomaxillary fossa up to the soft palate, and finally appearing exteriorly in the sub-maxillary region. Excision was carried out in the neonatal period because of the poor tolerance from the neurological point of view. A wide cranio-facial approach was first employed, enabling resection of the point of the temporal lobe, clogging of the cranial base, and excision as one piece of the complete palatocervical extension of the tumor. Follow-up one year later showed that the child possessed excellent neurological development and there was no sign of recurrence of the mass. A review of the published literature showed the extremely rare nature of this type of localization of cervicofacial teratomas (5 other cases have been reported). The surgical procedures and the problems encountered are discussed as well as the indications for excision, based on results obtained in this case and those previously reported. The etiology and anatomy are also reviewed in order to establish their true significance in the case of congenital cranio-facial tumors.