Neonatal Mediastinal Teratoma: A Cause of Neonatal Respiratory Distress

Mediastinal teratoma is a rare cause of neonatal respiratory distress and frequently requires urgent surgical management. Arising from any structure in the mediastinum, they produce life-threatening respiratory and vascular insufficiency and present unique surgical challenges for the pediatric surgeon. We report a one-month-old child who presented to the emergency department of Children's Hospital Number 2 (Benh Vien Nhi Dong 2), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with severe respiratory distress. Following stabilization and appropriate imaging, he underwent emergency thoracotomy and excision of the large hemithoracic mass. Histology confirmed a mature benign teratoma.