(Latin; polypus.) A general name applied to tumours which are attached by a stalk to the surface from which they spring. The term refers only to the shape of the growth and has nothing to do with its structure or nature. Most polypi are harmless, although malignant polypi are also found. The sites in which polyps are most usually found are the interior of the nose, the outer meatus of the ear, and the interior of the uterus, bladder, or intestines (see POLYPOSIS).

Their removal is generally easy, as they are simply twisted off, or cut off, by some form of snare or ligature. (The tissue removed should be checked for malignant cells.) Those which are situated in the interior of the bladder or bowels, and whose presence is usually recognised because blood appears in the urine or stools requires endoscopy to check whether the polyps are malignant.