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Objectives:To evaluate the medium-term outcome of cricothyroid approximation and subluxation (CTAS) with postoperative speech therapy for pitch elevation in male-to-female transsexuals. Study Design: Retrospective study of male-tofemale transsexuals who underwent pitch-raising surgery between November 1996 and August 2001.Methods: Twenty-one male-to-female transsexuals opted for surgical feminization of their voices after inadequate improvements with speech therapy alone. Electrolaryngographic measurements were obtained by a single speech therapist of modal fundamental frequencies and the percentage of irregularities before, at 2 weeks, and 6 months after surgery. All 21 patients underwent CTAS, and 20 underwent simultaneous cosmetic thyroid chondroplasty by a single surgeon. Results: Electrolaryngographic results 2 weeks after surgery showed an average postoperative gain in modal frequency of free speech of 71.05 Hz (95% confidence interval [CI]: 42.9 -99.2, P < .001). There was a concomitant average rise in irregularities of 9.9% (95% CI 0.7-18.5, P ‫؍‬ .03). At median follow-up of 6 months after six sessions of speech therapy (n ‫؍‬ 15), there was a decrease in irregularities to preoperative levels. The overall gain at 6 months in modal frequency of free speech was 56.9 Hz (95% CI 38.3-75.4, P < .001).Smoking and age did not predict a worse outcome. Conclusions: Cricothyroid approximation effectively raises pitch in male-to-female transsexuals.There is a concomitant rise in voice irregularities that is effectively addressed by speech therapy.

Caffeine is considered to be a dehydrating agent with detrimental effects on the quality of voice of persons ingesting it. This has led medical personnel dealing with voice disorders, especially in the case of professional voice users, to give advice against the use of caffeine. Yet this is an anecdotal truth as an extensive Medline literature search did not reveal any scientific evidence of caffeine being proven to have adverse effects on the vocal folds. We, therefore, initiated this pilot study to ascertain the connection between caffeine and voice quality on a laboratory basis. Two hundred and fifty mg of caffeine were provided to eight volunteers in tablet form, and blood levels along with laryngograph readings were recorded to document the changes produced. Analysing the irregularities of frequencies in a) free speech b) a reading passage and c) singing ‘Happy Birthday’, substantial changes were seen to authenticate the fact that caffeine does produce alterations in voice quality but these alterations have considerable intrasubject variability. A full study with wider parameters is to be performed on this subject as we consider it to be of importance in the management of voice disorders.

Previous studies have suggested that acoustic analysis may be useful in distinguishing different types of snoring prior to possible corrective surgery. This study aimed to establish whether it could replace sleep nasendoscopy in a clinical setting. Thirty-five patients undergoing sleep nasendoscopy had their snoring recorded and analysed using commercially available equipment. It was found that centre frequency can be used to distinguish pure palatal from tongue base snoring, with a clear cut-off value of 90 Hz between the two. Multisegmental snoring cannot be identified on the basis of centre frequency alone. It may be distinguished from tongue base, but not palatal snoring by the nature of the frequency distribution plot (sensitivity 77%, specificity 81%). Blinded assessment of waveforms of individual snores gave poor accuracy (53%) and poor interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.10). Acoustic analysis may help screen for pure tongue base snoring. However, we feel that it is unlikely to replace sleep nasendoscopy.