For weeks, a man from the UK suffered from respiratory problems. At 38, he had the funny surprise to discover what was preventing him from breathing properly through his nose. Indeed, the shocked doctors were surprised to find a growing tooth stuck in the patient’s right nostril. During an initial examination, the specialists diagnosed a deviated nasal septum as well as calcified septal spurs. However, the man assured the doctors that he had no facial trauma or any abnormality. Further examination later revealed that he suffered from an extremely rare condition.
Faced with persistent symptoms, the nursing staff decided to perform a rhinoscopy. As they inserted a tube into the patient’s nose, they eventually discovered a strange white shape lodged in his right nostril. Namely, an ectopic tooth! Impressed, Sagar Khanna and Michael Turner then published a report in the New England Journal of Medicine. They explain that ” physical examination of the nose showed septal deviation, calcified septal spurs, and a 2 cm perforation in the posterior septum. “They then added that” on rhinoscopy, a hard, nontender white mass was observed in the floor of the right nostril (panel A). »
And to conclude: CT scan of the paranasal sinuses showed a well-defined radiodense mass consistent with an inverted ectopic tooth in the nasal cavity (panel B, arrow), which would explain the obstructive symptoms and the septal perforation. A very strange discovery. ” The tooth was extracted during intranasal oral and otolaryngological surgery and was 14 mm long. There were no postoperative complications. At follow-up three months after surgery, the patient’s symptoms of nasal obstruction had resolved said the doctors. Good news for the patient.
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