Translation, Cultural Adaptation, and Preliminary Validation of the French Version of the Thyroidectomy-related Voice and Symptom Questionnaire (TVSQ-FR)

Background: Thyroidectomy frequently leads to transient or persistent voice, swallowing, and throat or neck-related symptoms that can substantially affect patients’ quality of life. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are essential to capture these subjective experiences, yet no validated French-language instrument specifically targets thyroidectomy-related voice and symptom complaints.
Objectives: This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and preliminarily validate a French version of the Thyroidectomy-related Voice and Symptom Questionnaire (TVSQFR) for use in French-speaking clinical and research settings.
Methods: Translation and cultural adaptation followed internationally recognized guidelines (WHO, ISPOR, and Cruchinho et al.). Two independent forward translations were synthesized through a Delphi consensus process involving otorhinolaryngologists, speech-language pathologists, and a psychometrician, followed by independent backtranslation.
The prefinal version was pretested in 30 adult French-speaking patients
undergoing thyroidectomy, assessed preoperatively and two to four weeks postoperatively.
Quantitative analyses included internal consistency (Cronbach’s α), item-total correlations, and sensitivity to postoperative change (Wilcoxon signed-rank tests). Qualitative data from open-ended questions and semi-structured cognitive interviews explored comprehensibility, cultural relevance, and acceptability.
Results: Internal consistency was excellent for the Voice subscale (α = 0.90) and total score (α = 0.92), and good for the Throat and Neck subscale (α = 0.87). Item-total correlations were moderate to strong across both domains. Significant postoperative changes were observed primarily in the Voice subscale, supporting the instrument’s sensitivity to early postoperative symptoms. Qualitative analyses confirmed high comprehensibility, cultural adequacy, and clinical relevance, with patients describing the
questionnaire as clear, accessible, and reflective of their postoperative experience.
Conclusions: The TVSQ-FR demonstrates strong linguistic and cultural equivalence with the original instrument and shows good preliminary psychometric properties. It provides a brief, patient-centered tool for assessing voice-related and throat or neck-related symptoms after thyroidectomy in French-speaking populations. Further studies with larger samples are warranted to confirm structural validity, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity, and to establish reference values for score interpretation.