Benign lateral pharyngeal band pathologies as a cause of sore throat.

S throat is one of the most common complaints encountered by primary care physicians and most often is caused by viral or bacterial tonsillopharyngitis.1 The Waldeyerʼs ring is the most important site of involvement with these infections. The palatine tonsils, nasopharyngeal tonsil, and lingual tonsil constitute the major part of Waldeyerʼs ring. Although benign hypertrophy and infections are the most encountered and well known clinical conditions, the tubal tonsils and lateral pharyngeal bands rarely are exposed to and considered for these pathologies.2 In addition, the non-Hodgkinʼs lymphomas primarily involve the Waldeyerʼs ring of the head and neck region.3 Although it is rare, cases of Hodgkinʼs disease primarily involving the Waldeyerʼs ring have been reported.4 We report 3 cases of lateral pharyngeal band pathologies presented with the complaint of sore throat. Patient 1. A 35-year-old man presented with sore throat and difficulty in swallowing for one year. His complaints worsened progressively. He has been smoking for 20 years and has lost weight recently. An Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist of another hospital previously saw him for the same complaints. Pharyngeal examination and the MRI scan showed a soft tissue mass on the right side extending laterally from nasopharynx to hypopharynx (Figure 1). A punch biopsy was then taken from the mass and pathological examination was reported as suspicion of Hodgkinʼs disease. On our examination, he had a mass extending from behind the right posterior tonsillar pillar through the middle line to behind the uvula, with the overlying mucosa of the oropharynx. On flexible nasopharyngolaryngoscopy, the mass was seen to involve the whole lateral pharyngeal band. There was no cervical lymphadenopathy. After consultation with a hematologist, the mass was totally removed through the oral cavity. On microscopic and immunohistochemical examination, it was diagnosed as reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. The patient was free of complaint both postoperatively and on oneyear follow. Patient 2. A 62-year-old woman was seen by her family physician with complaints of sore throat, burning in throat, and cough for 3 days duration. Clinical examination revealed a mass of the right