Can vocal cord polyps be treated conservatively?

Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
Updated on April 27, 2025
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Vocal cord polyps are a relatively common ENT disorder. For treatment, conservative treatment can be considered for some patients. If the vocal cord polyps are small and the symptoms of hoarseness are not particularly noticeable, conservative treatment with medication can be initially considered. Common treatments include oral traditional Chinese medicine, combined with nebulization therapy. It's also suggested to undergo voice training concurrently. Generally, with formal treatment lasting about two weeks, symptoms of hoarseness can gradually improve, and polyps may recede in some patients.

However, if the vocal cord polyps are particularly large and the symptoms of hoarseness are very noticeable, and conservative treatment proves ineffective, then surgical treatment should be considered.

Other Voices

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Written by Xu Qing Tian
Otolaryngology
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How to detect vocal cord polyps

Vocal cord polyps are common and frequently occurring diseases in otolaryngology. How to examine vocal cord polyps primarily involves assessing the patient's symptoms. For instance, if a patient develops vocal cord polyps, they will first exhibit symptoms of hoarseness. If the hoarseness persists and cannot be alleviated, an electronic laryngoscopy should be conducted initially. By using an electronic laryngoscope, the movement of the vocal cords and the condition of the vocal cord mucosa can be observed on a display screen, thereby identifying the presence of vocal cord polyps. For patients with vocal cord polyps, it is important in daily life to reduce voice use, avoid excessive vocalization, and lessen harmful habits such as smoking and drinking to prevent the occurrence of vocal cord polyps.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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How many days to recover the voice after vocal cord polyp removal?

Vocal cord polyp surgery is a relatively common otolaryngological procedure. After the surgery, recovery time can vary between individuals. Typically, within the first three days post-surgery, the vocal cords can exhibit significant congestion and swelling, potentially causing hoarseness that is even worse than before the surgery. However, nebulizer treatments can be considered during this phase to help improve the hoarseness. Generally, symptoms of hoarseness will gradually improve after three days, with noticeable improvement around one week. Most patients fully recover their voice in about two weeks, though individual variations exist. Therefore, it is advised to have regular follow-up examinations to observe the outcome after the surgery.

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Written by Xu Qing Tian
Otolaryngology
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Are white vocal cord polyps cancerous?

Vocal cord polyps are mainly caused by overuse of the voice by patients, or by edema of the mucous membrane due to smoking, alcohol, and physical or chemical irritations, which gradually form vocal cord polyps. During an examination with an electronic laryngoscope, if whitening of the vocal cord mucosa or symptoms such as folds or erosion are found, it may indicate an early stage lesion of a tumor, or that a tumor has developed, which is often seen in cases of leukoplakia or squamous carcinoma of the vocal cords. If such conditions are discovered, it is important for the patient to take them seriously and promptly visit a hospital for a pathological biopsy to determine if there has been a pathological change in the vocal cords. If a pathological change is confirmed, it is necessary to promptly remove the pathological tissue through carbon dioxide laser surgery or support laryngoscopy surgery to achieve timely treatment.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Can someone with difficulty breathing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath undergo vocal cord polyp surgery?

Difficulty breathing and chest tightness are very common symptoms in clinical practice. Since there are many triggering factors that can cause these symptoms, it is generally not recommended for patients experiencing difficulty breathing and chest tightness to undergo vocal cord surgery. It is advisable for patients to identify the triggering factors causing these symptoms and effectively improve these symptoms before considering vocal cord surgery. This is important because anesthesia, which is necessary for vocal cord surgery, could be harmful if the patient has underlying cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is recommended that such patients find and eliminate the triggering factors, improve their current discomforting symptoms, and only consider vocal cord surgery after their symptoms have fully improved.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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Do vocal cord polyps fear oil smoke?

Polyps on the vocal cords are a relatively common ENT disease with various clinical symptoms. The most common symptom is hoarseness. Some patients may also feel like there is a foreign body in their throat or experience throat pain. It is recommended to avoid exposure to cooking fumes as much as possible, as they are quite irritating and can directly stimulate the mucous membrane of the throat. Such exposure can also cause coughing and thus irritate the vocal cords. Frequent contact with cooking fumes can potentially worsen hoarseness. Of course, it is even more important to receive timely treatment. Most patients can consider medication therapy, although a small number may need to undergo surgery to remove the vocal cord polyps. (Specific medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)