Reinke's Edema - Smoker's Polyp

Reinke's Edema, otherwise known as smoker’s polyps. Most commonly found in talkative people who smoke. Usually on both vocal cords, though it may be present on only one. They can be asymmetric and here the left one is much larger than the right.

She had smoked two packs of cigarettes per day for about 30 years. She quit smoking two years ago when her voice started to deepen. Although she has a polyp on both vocal cords, the left is much larger than the right. This asymmetry makes her voice more rough since the individual vocal cords will tend to vibrate at different pitches.

She came back five years later to check and see if anything had changed, particularly she wanted to know if she had cancer. Her polyps are about the same size.

Another two years went by and she returned for another checkup. She has not smoked now for 9 years. The smoker's polyps are about the same size. There is no evidence of any cancer.