Introduction:
Intrapericardial teratomas are rare primary cardiac tumors with a
reported incidence of 0.003–0.14% in published literature, accounting
for 15-19% of paediatric cardiac tumors. These tumors can arise from
the inner lining, cardiac muscle layer, or the pericardium, and the
majority in infants and children are benign 1-4.
During fetal life, manifestations of a cardiac tumor can include
congestive heart failure, hydrops, arrhythmias, and possible stillbirth.
In postnatal life cardiac tumors may exert mass effect on adjacent
structures leading to inflow or outflow tract obstruction, myocardial
dysfunction, respiratory distress, arrhythmias, and sudden death3, 5. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice as
it can definitively alleviate mass effect exerted by the tumor. Our
current anaesthetic experience is predominately based on case reports.
Thus, the aim of this report is to address perioperative concerns unique
to neonatal intrapericardial teratomas and aid in future anaesthetic
planning.