A Giant Rhinolith in a Young Patient

Rhinolithiasis is the formation of calcified material around an intranasal foreign body. They are generally found in the anterior part of the nasal cavity. Diagnosis is based on endoscopic nasal examination and imaging methods. Computerized tomography (CT) is useful in determining the location of rhinoliths and in the decision to operate. In this report, we described a 16-year-old patient with a giant rhinolith who presented with obstruction in the left nasal cavity, difficulty breathing and purulent discharge for the previous 2 weeks.Endoscopic nasal examination revealed that the mass in the nasal cavity extended from the entrance to the anterior nares to the choana.A mass compatible with rhinoliths obliterating almost the entire left nasal cavity and with high radiodensity was determined at CT.The rhinolith was excised endoscopically. The extracted specimen was 10x5x4 cm in size. Rhinoliths are rare, and diagnosis is based on a history of foreign body in the nose, physical examination and nasal endoscopy. Rhinoliths take many years to form, and to the best of our knowledge this is the largest rhinolith reported to date in such a young patient