Combined type IIIB with bilateral type I thyroplasty for pitch lowering with maintenance of vocal fold tension.

摘要

To evaluate type IIIB thyroplasty using the excised larynx bench apparatus and determine how altering vocal fold contour by performing bilateral medialization of the inferior vocal fold affects phonation. This procedure could be performed in patients for whom pitch lowering is desirable, such as female-to-male transsexuals or male patients with mutational falsetto in whom intensive voice therapy was insufficient. Aerodynamic, acoustic, and high-speed videokymographic data were collected for nine larynges at three subglottal pressure inputs for each of three conditions: normal; type IIIB thyroplasty; and combined type IIIB with modified bilateral type I thyroplasty intended to create a more rectangular glottal configuration. Each larynx served as its own control. Phonation threshold flow (p?=?0.005), phonation threshold power (p?=?0.031), and airflow varied across conditions with highest values for type IIIB thyroplasty and lowest for the combined procedure. Fundamental frequency was significantly different (p?