Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, ROC.
J Chin Med Assoc. 2011 Jul;74(7):329-31. doi: 10.1016/j.jcma.2011.05.011. Epub 2011 Jun 24.
Tonsilloliths are rare dystrophic calcifications caused by chronic inflammation of the tonsils. They are usually small and occur on one side. Herein, we report a case involving a 75-year-old man presenting odynophagia and progressive dyspnea for days who was found by computed tomography image to have bilateral giant tonsilloliths. Hyperdensity lesions were found over the tonsillar fossa on both sides. Tonsillectomy was performed leading to immediate relief of symptoms. A review of relevant literature revealed that most patients with tonsilloliths are asymptomatic and need only conservative treatment. Severe symptoms such as dyspnea are extremely rare. Although tonsillolith can be easily diagnosed by computed tomography, otolaryngologists should be careful to differentiate this entity.
扁桃体结石是由扁桃体慢性炎症引起的罕见营养不良性钙化。它们通常较小，发生于单侧。在此，我们报告一例 75 岁男性，因咽痛和进行性呼吸困难数日就诊，计算机断层扫描图像显示双侧巨大扁桃体结石。两侧扁桃体窝均可见高密度病变。行扁桃体切除术，症状立即缓解。回顾相关文献，发现大多数扁桃体结石患者无症状，仅需保守治疗。呼吸困难等严重症状极为罕见。尽管 CT 易于诊断扁桃体结石，但耳鼻喉科医生应注意鉴别该疾病。
