Gender-Affirming Voice Surgery: Considerations for Surgical Intervention.

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the current state and available evidence surrounding surgical voice care for the transgender and/or gender expansive population. The term "gender expansive" has been proposed as an inclusive term to classify those who do not identify with traditional gender roles but are otherwise not confined to one gender narrative or experience. We aim to review indications and candidacy for surgery, surgical procedure options for altering vocal pitch, and typical postoperative expectations. The role of voice therapy and considerations for perioperative care will also be discussed.

Acoustic-Perceptual Correlates of Voice Among Steam Train Engineers: Effects of Noise and Hearing Protection.

Occupational voice users are at a higher risk for developing voice disorders due to their vocal demands, such as prolonged periods of work-related voice use and nonideal environmental factors, such as speaking above background noise. The current study focused on the effects of background noise and hearing protection on acoustic-perceptual correlates of voice among steam train engineers. Fourteen participants phonated vowel /a/, read a phrase, and described a map under different noise and hearing protection conditions. Relative sound pressure level, relative fundamental frequency, and perceived vocal effort and disturbance decreased in the presence of hearing protection for all noise conditions. In contrast, these acoustic measures increased in the absence of hearing protection supporting Lombard effect. Overall, results of the current study provide insight into possible risks to vocal health in workers exposed to high levels of background noise and use hearing protection.