Corpo estranho nasal incomum: chips de celular: relato de caso

Abstract

Introduction: Nasal foreign bodies are a reason for medical attention, either in clinics or in emergency departments. Most nasal foreign bodies occur in children and psychiatric patients. The diagnosis is usually clinical. If not removed, they can be enveloped by magnesium phosphate, calcium phosphate, or calcium carbonate, and eventually become stable hardened structures firmly adhered to the nasal walls called rhinoliths.

Aim: To describe a case of a patient with unusual nasal rhinolith with a previous diagnosis of neoplasia.

Case description: This report describes a case of a 39 year-old patient who presented a stable hardened structure in the floor of the right nasal fossa, with a long history of evolution. The patient had consultationswith specialists whose initial diagnosis was a tumor requiring urgent removal and was referred to the public service. During the evaluation at the otorhinolaryngology department, the patient was submitted to a clinical examination, computed tomography of the paranasal sinuses, and video-assisted fibroscopy, when the possibility of a nasal foreign body was raised. Thus the patient was taken to the outpatient clinic for removal under topical anesthesia; and the unexpected rhinolith was revealed (plastic bag with cell phone chips inside).

Conclusion: Despite the various possible differential diagnoses, including those of tumors, even despite the long time of evolution, rhinoliths should not be ignored as diagnostic hypotheses. Although the characteristics of the patient as adult age and preserved mental condition or even conditions of the location do not direct to such suspicion, as in the presented case.