teratoma is a special type of mixed tumor that contains recognizable mature or immature cells or tissues representative of more than one germ cell layer and sometimes all three .
teratomas can develop in almost any area of the body , but usually occur in median sites .
the most common sites are the sacrococcyx , anterior mediastinum , testicle , ovary , or retroperitoneum .
1 day  old male baby was referred for respiratory distress secondary to the presence of an oropharyngeal mass .
there no other abnormalities found in the head and neck region . under general anesthesia the lesion was excised .
on the gross pathological examination , the excisional material was a polypoid lesion of 3    2    1.5  cm in size whose surface was covered with skin ( fig .
histologically , the mass consisted of a core of lobules of mature adipose tissue admixed with fascicles of striated skeletal muscle and covered by keratinized squamous epithelium containing many hair follicles associated with sebaceous and eccrine glands ( fig .
these findings confirmed the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal mature teratoma also known as congenital hairy polyp .
. teratomas generally occur in 1 of 4000 births , but only 10% are found in the head and neck .
they most commonly arise from the midline or lateral nasopharyngeal wall and some reports have described a slight female predilection , but jiang et al . found malignant teratoma to be more common in men .
the majority of neonates with nasopharyngeal teratomas can be successfully intubated either via the oral or nasal routes , whereas the remainder usually require tracheostomy . in 6% of all cases ,
teratomas are associated with malformations such as cleft palate , bifid tongue , and bifid uvula .
most of the congenital nasopharyngeal lesions present as an emergency respiratory problem and require immediate surgery .
benign ones consist of mature tissue components , while those with malignant potential contain immature tissues ; benign teratomas may undergo malignant change with age .
histopathological examination showed the mass in our case to be composed of multiple mature tissues with no juvenile cells , which confirmed a benign tumor .
the main therapy of teratoma is complete surgical excision , which depends on the site of the tumor .
patients with teratomas are more likely to require intensive airway management prior to surgical excision of the lesion .
written informed consent was obtained from the patient 's parent for publication of this case report and accompanying images .
a copy of the written consent is available for the review of the editor - of - chief of this journal on request .
 highlightswe report a newborn with soft palatal mass.we excised the mass.on the gross pathological examination , it was polypoid lesion covered with skin . 
 histologically , it consisted of a core of lobules of mature adipose tissue admixed with fascicles of striated skeletal muscle and covered by keratinized squamous epithelium containing many hair follicles associated with sebaceous and eccrine glands.these findings confirmed mature teratoma . 