« In Memoriam
Insane in the Brain »

Say Ah…

mature cystic teratoma

mature cystic teratoma

Although it’s independence day back home, at Ross, it’s the Saturday before Mini II, so instead of celebrating, I’m trying to be diligent and review all of the pathology we’re covered over the past four weeks. While there’s probably a million things I’d rather do than spend my day looking at hundreds of pictures of diseased genitalia, this one, with its absolutely perfect caption (and three exclamation points), made me laugh out loud (in the middle of a crowded classroom, no less). Apparently, 25% of ovarian tumors are dermoid cysts and 90% of those have random contents like teeth, hair and sebaceous material. But seriously? Come on. Of all the things one would expect to find growing in one’s ovary, teeth is probably the very last on the list.

Back to the grind… Happy 4th of July!

Explore posts in the same categories: 4th semester, med school

This entry was posted on July 4, 2009 at 5:33 pm and is filed under 4th semester, med school. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: , ,

You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.

3 Comments on “Say Ah…”

  1. Debnet Says:

    September 26, 2009 at 10:43 pm

    how is this possible????????????

    Reply
    • evilangelfish Says:

      September 26, 2009 at 11:21 pm

      Thanks for stopping by! Teratomas arise from pluripotent cells (i.e., cells that have the ability to differentiate into any type of cell in the body). They’re most commonly encountered in the gonads – ovaries and testes – because of the abundance of germ-line cells found there.

      This case study from Brigham & Women’s Hospital (Harvard Med’s teaching hospital) does a better job of explaining it:

      “Teratoma is a neoplasm of germ cell tumors arising along the line of migration of the primordial germ cells. This tumor is composed of elements of all 3 germ layers. Ectodermal tissue is the most abundant, and typically manifests in the form of squamous epithelium, brain tissue, glia, retina, choroid plexus, and/or ganglia. Mesodermal tissue typically gives rise to bone and/or cartilage. Endodermal tissue may form bronchial and gastrointestinal epithelium, thyroid glands, and/or salivary glands.”

      For more info, check out eMedicine

      Reply
  2. Ob/Gyn, その2 « 医者の卵 Says:

    April 12, 2011 at 8:16 am

    […] two weeks: more c-sections, another circumcision, a massive myomectomy and an honest-to-goodness dermoid cyst! The only thing that would have made it better is if the cyst had teeth. Oh, and if the […]

    Reply

Leave a comment