A 62-year-old man had been hoarse for three months when a violent coughing fit during his morning walk expelled a chunk of tissue from his throat. He picked it up, carried it to an ear, nose, and throat clinic, and handed it to the doctors.
Pathology confirmed what the timing suggested. The tissue was a vocal cord polyp. Videolaryngoscopy showed a congested spot on his right vocal cord, marking the likely site from which it had torn away. His hoarseness improved immediately after the cough.
