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Analysis of mineral composition & bacterial flora in 4 tonsillolith stones

Sudhir M Naik, Ravishankara S, Mohan Appaji, Goutham MK4, N Pinky Devi, Sarika S Nai

Background/ objectives; Large tonsillolith is a rare entity although small calcifications in the tonsillar tissue are a common clinical finding in adults. These patients usually present with bad breath odor, pain during swallowing or foreign body sensation in the throat.

Design: K V G Medical College, Department of ENT, Head & Neck Surgery.

Intervention: Tonsillectomy was done in all the cases & tonsillar specimen sent for histopathological analysis & tonsillolith for mineral & bacterial flora analysis.

Result: Normal tonsillar lymphoid tissue was seen on histopathology in all the 4 cases. Calcium carbonate & phosphate was seen in all with magnesium phosphate in one. Fusobacterium an oral anaerobic commensal were isolated from 2 stones.

Conclusion: Tonsilloliths are sometimes incidental findings in X-ray neck & nasopharynx. Treatment includes surgical removal for superficial stones & tonsillectomy for larger & deeper stones.