A 33 year old man presented with three months of persistent hoarseness with no preceding upper respiratory tract infection. He was otherwise a healthy young policeman and he was a non-smoker.

A benign looking polyp was discovered on microlaryngoscopic examination at the anterior end of the left vocal cord adjacent to the anterior commissure. This was biopsied and subsequent histological examination showed a polypoid fragment of respiratory tract mucosa with abundant fibrinoid material in its core, as would be expected …