[A tonsillolith].

Abstract

The author describes a tonsillolith accidentally detected in a peritonsillar abscess in a 10-year-old girl. The concrement 26 x 4 mm in size, weighing 0.84 g was analyzed by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction which revealed that it was a dahllite. The surface of the concrement was documented by a scanning microscope. The authors give an account of 29 published cases of tonsilloliths and in the discussion they analyze the causes of development of these concrements in tonsils.