Thyroplasty Type III to Lower the Vocal Pitch in Trans Men

(from the Abstract)

About 20% of trans men do not achieve cisgender male frequencies (F0131 Hz) after gender-affirming hormone treatment (GAHT) with testosterone. The surgical procedure Isshiki thyroplasty type III (TPIII) is described to lower F0, but data on this technique in trans men are lacking. In this study, 8 trans men, unsatisfied with their voice after a minimum of 12 months of GAHT, underwent TPIII to lower F0 at the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at Ghent University Hospital. TPIII was performed by 1 surgeon using the same method each time. Pre- and postoperatively, an acoustic evaluation of the voice took place. The F0 dropped significantly from the preoperative mean of (154.60 6 12.29) Hz to the postoperative mean of (105.37 6 10.52) Hz (t = 9.821, P \.001). TPIII is an effective method for lowering the F0 in trans men who are not satisfied with their voice after long-term GAHT.

Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery

2021, Vol. 164(1) 157–159

DOI: 10.1177/0194599820937675

Keywords: thyroplasty, vocal surgery, voice, fundamental frequency, transgender, trans man

Language: English

Resource type: scientific study, medical study

Format: PDF

Date published: 2021

Uploaded to TGA: March 10th, 2026

Last updated: March 10th, 2026