2023 Volume 162 Pages 64-67
Rhinolith is a rare disease entity. Herein, we report two patients, one with bilateral rhinoliths and one with a right-sided rhinolith. The first patient, a 64-year-old male, presented with the chief complaint of nasal malodor. He had a history of submucosal insertion of foreign bodies in bilateral nasal cavities 40 years ago for the treatment of atrophic rhinitis. Otorhinolaryngological examination showed bilateral rhinoliths between the bilateral inferior nasal turbinates and the nasal septum. The bilateral rhinoliths were removed piecemeal in two stages, which led to relief from the symptoms. Histopathological examination of the removed rhinoliths revealed evidence of the foreign bodies and calcification. Chemical analysis showed that this rhinolith was composed of calcium phosphate. The bilateral rhinoliths in this case appear to have formed as a result of insertion of foreign bodies for the treatment of atrophic rhinitis.
The second patient was a 15-year-old female who presented with the chief complaints of headache and nasal obstruction on the right side. She gave a past history of a nasal foreign body. Plain head CT showed calcification on the right side of her nasal cavity. Examination revealed a rhinolith between the right inferior nasal turbinate and the septum on the nasal floor. Her symptoms disappeared after the rhinolith was removed en bloc. We found that a duckbill elevator was useful for removal of the rhinolith in both cases.
