Low-power microscope magnification of a cross-section through one of the<unk> lar crypts (running diagonally) as it opens onto the surface of the throat (at the top). Stratified epithelium (e) covers the throat's surface and continues as a lining of the crypt. Beneath the surface are numerous nodules (f) of lymphoid tissue. Many lymph cells (dark-colored region) pass from the nodules toward the surface and will eventually mix with the saliva as salivary corpuscles (s). The mechanism by which these calculi form is subject to debate, though they appear to result from the accumulation of material retained within the crypts, along with the growth of bacteria and fungi – sometimes in association with persistent chronic purulent<unk> litis. In 2009, an association between biofilms and<unk> loliths was shown. Central to the biofilm concept is the assumption that bacteria form a three dimensional structure, dormant bacteria being in the center to serve as a constant nidus of infection. This impermeable structure renders the biofilm immune to antibiotic treatment. By use of confocal microscopy and microelectrodes, biofilms similar to dental biofilms were shown to be present in the<unk> lolith, with oxygen respiration at the outer layer of<unk> lolith, denitrification toward the middle, and acidification toward the bottom.
Tonsil stones
Syphilis
Liver spot
Granuloma
Laryngeal cyst
Fungal infection
Retropharyngeal abscess
Rhinolith