Autopolypectomy of a Vocal Cord Polyp

Abstract

Introduction Vocal cord polyps commonly occur in those with a history of vocal abuse. Patients with large lesions generally undergo microlaryngeal surgery under general anaesthesia. This unique case report highlights a strange scenario where the patient coughed out a fleshy mass during his morning walk and which was later confirmed as a vocal cord polyp.  Case Report A 62 year old male with a history of hoarseness of voice for 3 months presented to the ENT OPD holding a chunk of tissue which was apparently coughed out by him during his morning walk. After the incident, his symptoms had immediately improved. A videolaryngoscopy showed a congested spot on the right vocal cord being the probable site of origin of the lesion. On Histopathological examination, the tissue was reported as a vocal cord polyp.  The patient was managed conservatively but the lesion recurred at the same site after a month for which a microlaryngeal excision was performed. Discussion Vocal cord polyps are fairly common in ENT practice and usually present to the clinic with hoarseness of voice. Polyps that are small are usually managed conservatively by voice therapy alone whereas large polyps require surgical excision. This unique case report highlights a strange clinical scenario where the patient coughed out a large vocal cord polyp (Auto-polypectomy) during a bout of acute cough. This event saved him a surgery at the first instance, but eventually had a recurrence and had to undergo an excision under GA