口蓋扁桃ラドンシード異物例

抄録

A 49-year-old male was treated for chronic tonsillitis with brachytherapy 40 years ago. The inflammation of the tonsils was improved by the treatment. On August 18th, 1998, he consulted our hospital complaining of sudden throat pain. The pain deviated to the left, intensified with eating and continued for several hours every day for one month. An X-ray revealed a metallic foreign body in his left tonsil. A left tonsillectomy was done on January 14th, 1999, and the foreign body was removed completely. It was a small gold tablet, 3×1×1mm in size. A scintillation counter proved that the metallic foreign body was a radon (²²⁰Rn) seed. This is a rare case of a radon seed buried in the left tonsil of a patient for 40 years.