Cystic Mature Teratoma of the Lumbar Region in an Adult

Teratomas that arise from the three germ layers rarely show spinal involvement. Teratomas account for up to 0.1% of all spinal cord tumors. They are classified as mature, immature or malignant type according to their histological characteristics. Teratomas occur more often in the pediatric and young population. The majority of the tumors occur at the conus medullaris; localizations at the thoracic and cervical regions are seen less frequently. Total resection is the most commonly adopted procedure for therapeutic objective. We discuss herein a 24-year-old male patient who was referred to our clinic with cystic mature teratoma at the L2 level.