INTRODUCTION: Severe tinnitus can seriously impair patients in their activities in daily life and reduce their quality of life. The aims of this prospective clinical study were to assess the long-term effects of cochlear implantation (CI) on tinnitus in patients with single-sided deafness and ipsilateral incapacitating tinnitus, and to investigate whether CI could treat various types of tinnitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six subjects with unilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss received a CI. Patients suffered from severe tinnitus greater than 6/10 on a visual analogue scale (VAS) due to unilateral deafness. Assessment consisted of a tinnitus analysis including determination of tinnitus type, frequency, and loudness. A tinnitus questionnaire (TQ) measured tinnitus distress. VAS and TQ were administered pre-implantation and post-implantation. RESULTS: All 26 patients reported a subjective benefit from CI. Tinnitus loudness reduced significantly after CI from 8.6 to 2.2 on the VAS (scale: 0-10). The TQ total score decreased significantly and the mean tinnitus degree decreased from severe to mild. No differences were observed between patients with pure-tone tinnitus, narrow band noise tinnitus, or polyphonic tinnitus. The degree of tinnitus loudness reduction remained stable after CI. CONCLUSIONS: CI can successfully be used as treatment of severe tinnitus in patients with single-sided deafness and is equally effective for pure tone, narrow band noise, and polyphonic tinnitus. Long-term results show that implantation provides durable tinnitus relief in these patients. These results support the hypothesis that physiopathological mechanisms after peripheral deafferentation are reversible when hearing is restored. Single-sided deafness accompanied by severe tinnitus is a new indication for CI.
INTRODUCTION: Severe tinnitus can seriously impair patients in their activities in daily life and reduce their quality of life. The aims of this prospective clinical study were to assess the long-term effects of cochlear implantation (CI) on tinnitus in patients with single-sided deafness and ipsilateral incapacitating tinnitus, and to investigate whether CI could treat various types of tinnitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six subjects with unilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss received a CI. Patients suffered from severe tinnitus greater than 6/10 on a visual analogue scale (VAS) due to unilateral deafness. Assessment consisted of a tinnitus analysis including determination of tinnitus type, frequency, and loudness. A tinnitus questionnaire (TQ) measured tinnitus distress. VAS and TQ were administered pre-implantation and post-implantation. RESULTS: All 26 patients reported a subjective benefit from CI. Tinnitus loudness reduced significantly after CI from 8.6 to 2.2 on the VAS (scale: 0-10). The TQ total score decreased significantly and the mean tinnitus degree decreased from severe to mild. No differences were observed between patients with pure-tone tinnitus, narrow band noise tinnitus, or polyphonic tinnitus. The degree of tinnitus loudness reduction remained stable after CI. CONCLUSIONS: CI can successfully be used as treatment of severe tinnitus in patients with single-sided deafness and is equally effective for pure tone, narrow band noise, and polyphonic tinnitus. Long-term results show that implantation provides durable tinnitus relief in these patients. These results support the hypothesis that physiopathological mechanisms after peripheral deafferentation are reversible when hearing is restored. Single-sided deafness accompanied by severe tinnitus is a new indication for CI.
Authors: Richard S Tyler; A J Keiner; Kurt Walker; Aniruddha K Deshpande; Shelley Witt; Matthijs Killian; Helena Ji; Jim Patrick; Norbert Dillier; Pim van Dijk; Wai Kong Lai; Marlan R Hansen; Bruce Gantz Journal: Am J Audiol Date: 2015-09 Impact factor: 1.493
Authors: Katrien Vermeire; David M Landsberger; Paul H Van de Heyning; Maurits Voormolen; Andrea Kleine Punte; Reinhold Schatzer; Clemens Zierhofer Journal: Hear Res Date: 2015-04-01 Impact factor: 3.208
Authors: Gentiana I Wenzel; Petra Sarnes; Athanasia Warnecke; Timo Stöver; Burkard Jäger; Anke Lesinski-Schiedat; Thomas Lenarz Journal: Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol Date: 2014-12-06 Impact factor: 2.503