Endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of persistent halitosis after pharyngeal flap surgery.

A patient presenting with persistent dramatically offensive fetid malodor 1 year after pharyngeal flap surgery is described. Nasendoscopic examination revealed the presence of a foreign body within the nasopharynx lying on the flap. The foreign body was immediately removed by endoscopic telebiopter and revealed itself to be a gauze pad forgotten during the pharyngeal flap surgery. Modern endoscopic equipment allowed both quick diagnosis of this very rare complication and immediate and simple treatment under topical anesthesia.