Some of the most common vocal cord surgeries include medialization laryngoplasty, arytenoid adduction, and anterior glottic web formation.
Vocal cord surgery is usually done to treat damage to the vocal cords, remove cancerous lesions from the throat, or treat glottic insufficiency — a condition that happens when your vocal cords don’t close all the way.
Vocal cord surgery can also help change your voice as a form of gender affirming care.
Read on to learn more about the different types of vocal cord surgery and to better understand how safe and effective they are in the long term.
Before performing vocal cord surgery, a doctor or surgeon may perform a procedure called a laryngoscopy.
This involves inserting a thin tube with a light and camera on the end to view your larynx and any nodules or lesions that need to be removed.
Medialization laryngoplasty
Medialization laryngoplasty
This procedure involves inserting an implant or injecting filler material to help move the larynx into a different position.
Arytenoid adduction
Arytenoid adduction can help improve symptoms of
This procedure involves tying a suture through the muscles that move the vocal cord to help bring it closer to the middle, where it meets the other vocal cord.
Anterior glottic web formation
Anterior glottic web formation helps shorten your vocal cords to raise the pitch of your voice. It’s often used in a type of vocal cord surgery called “voice feminization surgery” as part of a gender affirming surgical plan.
It’s done by creating new scar tissue near the anterior commissure — the front of the “V” where the vocal cords meet. This makes your vocal cords shorter so that you’re not able to produce lower frequencies that are associated with “masculine” voices.
A 2023 study indicates in-office vocal cord surgeries with local anesthesia are
The biggest risks associated with vocal cord surgeries are related to the use of
- sore throat that doesn’t go away on its own
- damage to your lips or tongue
- trouble breathing
- trouble swallowing (dysphagia)
- permanent damage to the vocal cords
- permanent hoarseness
Sometimes, vocal cord surgery doesn’t produce the result you might want. For example, a
You can usually start to use your voice and go back to a typical diet a few days after a successful vocal cord surgery.
In some cases, you may need to limit or avoid using your voice for at least two to six weeks until your vocal cords are fully healed.
Your voice won’t usually change after vocal cord surgery if your vocal cords heal well and the underlying concern is treated successfully.
However, if any tissue was removed or modified, especially if lesions were removed or a thyroplasty was performed to raise or deepen the voice, your voice may change slightly after vocal cord surgery.
Vocal cord surgery is a common treatment for nodules or lesions on the vocal cords that can happen from overuse, especially if you’re a professional singer or vocalist.
But vocal cord surgery alone can’t make you sing better. You may need to work with a voice coach to train your voice to sing after a vocal cord surgery that changes the size, shape, or position of your vocal cords.
Vocal cord surgeries are typically covered by insurance, including Medicare, if they’re deemed medically necessary by a doctor or your insurance provider. This includes surgeries meant to treat cancer or vocal cord paralysis.
Surgeries to change your voice as part of gender affirming care may not be covered if they’re not considered medically necessary as part of a diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
The most common vocal cord surgeries used in gender affirming care include:
- anterior glottic web formation
- cricothyroid approximation (CTA)
- thyroplasty type 3 (a type of medialization laryngoplasty)
Vocal cord surgeries differ based on what you need, and they’re usually very safe.
Consult with a doctor or specialist, such as an otolaryngologist or speech-language pathologist, to discuss your options for achieving the desired outcome.