Silent Foreign Body in Nose: Rhinolith

Abstract

Rhinoliths (nasal stones) are mineralized masses around a calcified nidus in the nasal cavity. The nidus may be endogenous or exogenous. It is seen in all ages and shows female predominance. Major symptoms are malodour in the nose and nasal obstruction. Rarely there is no symptom and may be diagnosed on routine examination. It seems a typically homogenous high density lesion in CT scans. Sometimes hypodensity is seen in centrally located organic material in lesions. Treatment is removal of the foreign body. For this purpose, removing the foreign body with rigid nasal endoscopy has produced succesful results. In this case we discussed a 53 year old women who had no symptoms despite having a rinolith in the left nasal cavity which fills the inferior meatus to choana.