Recurrent rhinolithiasis: a case report with review of the literature

Rhinolith is an uncommon nasal mass and a rare entity encountered in clinical practice. The typical symptoms of rhinolith are unilateral nasal obstruction, foul smelling purulent nasal discharge and epistaxis, crusting, swelling of nose or face, anosmia, epiphora and headache. In this report, we present a case of recurrent rhinolith manifesting as an incidental finding on dental radiographs. A 26-year old male patient with a history of long standing halitosis had an operation for rhinolith seven years previously. Rhinolith in the right nasal cavity was diagnosed on rigid endoscopic examination. Rhinolith was removed by using a rigid nasal endoscope under local anaesthesia. To our knowledge, recurrence of rhinolith has not been described previously in the literature.

Neoplasms of the salivary glands in a Turkish adult population

OBJECTIVE

This retrospective study aimed to investigate the types and distribution of neoplasm of salivary glands in a Turkish population.

STUDY DESIGN

The histological diagnosis records of the Department of Pathology at Cumhuriyet University were reevaluated for 125 patients who were treated for salivary gland tumors from 1987 to 2008. The neoplasms were analyzed for histological diagnosis, age, sex, and site. The histological diagnoses were analyzed according to the 2005 WHO classification.

RESULTS

A total of 125 primary salivary gland neoplasms, consisting of 95 (76%) benign and 30 (24%) malignant groups were recorded. The most common major and minor salivary gland sites were the parotid (61.6%) and palatal glands (9.6%), respectively. Pleomorphic adenoma was the most frequent benign tumor followed by Warthin's tumor. Among the malignant group, adenoid cystic carcinoma was the most prevalent. Age for all cases ranged from 16-80 years; mean age was 41.97 years, with a female to male ratio of 1:1.15.

CONCLUSIONS

Although there were some discrepancies, the characteristics of salivary gland tumors of Turkish patients are in line with those of patients from other countries according to tumor type, tumor site distribution, and age and sex of patients.

Radiological study of the intumescentia septi nasi anterior

Intumescentia septi nasi anterior (ISNA) is a common anatomical variation that is not routinely noticed by surgeons or radiologists. ISNA is a mucosal bulging located on each side of the anterior part of the septum. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of ISNA in different ages and sexes. In this study, computerized tomography (CT) scans of the paranasal sinus were obtained from 595 patients who had symptoms of chronic sinusitis. Among 595 subjects, ISNA was found in 332 (55.79 per cent) of subjects. It was found more frequently in males than females in every age group. Although ISNA is a common anatomical variation, it is generally overlooked. This is the first report on ISNA in different age groups and sexes.

The uncinate bulla

In this study a total of 175 coronal CT scans of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses have been investigated. The uncinate bulla was detected in 21 (11 male and 10 female) cases of 175 patients. Out of 21, 17 were bilateral while 4 were unilateral. The incidence of the uncinate bulla was found as 12%.