Laryngeal surgical treatment in transgender women: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

To identify the effects of laryngeal surgical treatment in the voice of transgender women, especially on the fundamental frequency (f0).

Study Design

We performed a systematic review in PubMed and Scopus in July 2016, covering the period between 2005 and 2016.

Methods

Inclusion criteria were studies in English or Portuguese about the laryngeal surgical treatment in transgender women, featuring experimental design, title, year of publication, country of origin, journal of publication, participants, intervention, results. For the meta-analysis, only studies that had control group were selected. Exclusion criteria were articles that mentioned the use of surgical techniques but did not use the procedure in research, animal studies, studies of revision, and postmortem studies.

Results

Four hundred and twenty-three articles were identified in the initial search; 94 were selected for analysis by two referees, independently. After applying all the selection criteria, five studies remained in the meta-analysis. The surgical procedures that were identified included laryngoplasty with or without thyrohyoid approximation, Wendler glottoplasty, cricothyroid approximation, laser glottoplasty reduction and the vocal fold shortening and retrodisplacement of anterior commissure. There was no significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in relation to f0.

Conclusion

No randomized clinical trials and prospective cohort studies are available, and a small number of retrospective cohort and case-control studies of surgical techniques reveal an increase in the f0. The evidence produced is not conclusive regarding which surgical technique would be better for vocal treatment of transgender women.

Level of Evidence

NA Laryngoscope, 2017

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