Test and Diagnosis
Diagnosing laryngitis requires physical examination of the ear, nose, throat and the voice. Your doctor will listen to your voice to know how hoarse it is when diagnosing this condition. You will be asked if you have been recently exposed to any irritant or dangerous chemical or if you came in contact with an allergen.
If your voice is very hoarse and has been persistent for over three weeks, more tests will be carried out to rule out some underlying conditions that could have led to it. If the case is severe, you will be transferred to an ear, nose and throat specialist or otolaryngologist. The specialist will do a laryngoscopy [4] procedure to check the movement of the vocal cord when air passes through it. This procedure can detect if there are any polyps [5] in your larynx.
A biopsy can also be carried out if there is a need for further testing. Here, a piece of tissue from the larynx is cut out and taken to the lab for testing.