A giant tonsillolith: An unusual cause for longstanding foreign body sensation in throat

Abstract

Foreign body sensation in throat is a common complaint by patients at the outpatient department in routine clinical practice. Long-standing tonsillolith is an uncommon cause for foreign body sensation in throat. Tonsilloliths are also called as tonsillar calculi or tonsillar stones or throat stone which form in the crypts of the faucial or palatine tonsils. They are usually small in size. The exact etiopathogenesis for the formation of tonsillolith is not known. It may protrude out of the tonsillar crypt and provide foreign body sensation in throat and usually not harmful to the body. It is a common cause for bad breath or halitosis in adult patients with tonsillolith. Finding giant tonsilloliths is rare in clinical practice. Here, we report a case of a giant tonsillolith in left palatine tonsil which was associated with long standing foreign body sensation in throat. Here, we report a 62-year-old man presenting for giant tonsilloliths with complaint of long-standing foreign body sensation in throat.