Do you know the examination methods for teratoma?

What are the examination methods for teratoma? Most teratomas are exophytic or have obvious masses that can be palpated, and early diagnosis can often be made based on clinical manifestations. Careful abdominal physical examination and pulmonary teratoma angiography. Let's take a closer look at the examination methods for teratoma.

Rectal examination is very necessary for the examination of abdominal, pelvic and occult sacrococcygeal teratomas. X-ray films of the tumor site can reveal abnormal calcifications of bones and teeth in the tumor to confirm the teratoma, which is mostly mature teratoma. Gastrointestinal barium meal, barium enema and intravenous pyelography can understand the compression and displacement of the gastrointestinal tract or organs such as kidneys, ureters and bladder in the corresponding parts. CT and MRI examinations should be performed for teratomas that grow rapidly and have a wide range of infiltration to clarify the range of tumor infiltration and its adjacent relationship with important blood vessels and spinal nerves.

If a malignant teratoma is considered, the serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) levels should be tested for diagnosis and prognosis. Ninety-two percent of malignant teratomas have elevated alpha-fetoprotein, while four percent of benign teratomas have abnormal AFP. It was found that patients with elevated AFP in benign teratomas had a significantly increased postoperative recurrence rate.

Spine X-rays show a large or obvious widening of the intervertebral cavity, narrow pedicles at the site of the lesion, widened interpedicular distance, concavity of the posterior edge of the vertebral body, and in some cases, manifestations of spina bifida.

CT and MRI have obvious advantages in diagnosing teratomas, and both can better show the heterogeneity of tumors. On MRI images, teratomas appear as mixed signals, often with intact cyst walls, rich in fat signals, with or without intratumoral enhancement nodules, and usually, in addition to the tumor, are often accompanied by spina bifida or vertebral dysplasia.