Prenatal Assessment and Management of Sacrococcygeal Teratoma

Sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) is one of the most common tumors in newborns with a birth prevalence of up to 1 in 21,700 births. Routine fetal anomaly screening programs allow for prenatal diagnosis in many cases. Fetal ultrasound with Doppler evaluation and more recently magnetic resonance imaging may be used to document the extent of the tumor as well as identifying the population at risk for serious fetal complications. Rapidly growing SCT and highly vascularized tumors are more likely to have hemodynamic repercussions. Fetal hydrops is usually considered as a poor prognostic marker and a potential indicator for fetal intervention. Newborns with SCT require stabilization prior to early surgical resection. In case of malignancy additional chemotherapy may be required. SCT may result in significant morbidity, either directly or as a consequence of surgical therapy. Careful postnatal follow-up is required for timely identification and treatment of complications as well as recurrence. This paper aims to review the perinatal management of this condition.