A Case of Lingual Tonsil Lithiasis Suspected as a Foreign Body

Abstract

A 54-year-old woman complained of anterior neck pain. Computed tomography showed a calcification at the base of the tongue. Her symptoms had appeared just after a meal, so we suspected that the calcification was from a foreign body. Direct laryngoscopic extirpation was performed under general anesthesia. We diagnosed the condition as lingual tonsil lithiasis, because the calcified body was composed mostly of calcium phosphate.
The etiology of palatine and lingual tonsil lithiasis is discussed with reference to the literature.