GIANT EPIGNATHUS - A CASE-REPORT

We report the successful treatment of a 2.8 kg female infant born with a giant epignathus, and we present our current prenatal and neonatal recommendations for managing this problem. We recommend that the delivery be done by cesarean section, that an adjacent operating room be ready for the baby, and that a neonatologist, anesthesiologist, and pediatric surgeon be standing by. The term epignathus now commonly applies to a teratoma protruding from a newborn's mouth.1 The survival of these otherwise normal children has been very low.2 We discuss the perinatal, neonatal, and operative care necessary to improve survival, as evidenced by the case presented.