[Classification and clinical observation of rhinoliths in the adult patients]

This paper reports 3 cases of rhinoliths 20, 14, and 45 years in duration respectively observed during the last 3 years. Rhinoliths caused difficulty of nasal breathing on the side of their localization accompanied by serous discharge from the nose and atrophy of turbinate bones; moreover, they provoked the development of maxilloethmoidal sinusitis, nasal polyps, and deviation of the nasal septum. The surgical removal of the rhinoliths promoted elimination of these complications. A new classification of rhinoliths distinguishing between 4 groups of these stone-like structures is proposed.