The characteristics and natural history of tinnitus in Meniere's disease.

Four tests for the identification of tinnitus have been presented: pitch, loudness, maskability, and residual inhibition. The typical features of the tinnitus associated with Meniere's disease are as follows: 1. Usually the tinnitus is a low pitched noise. However, in the burned out condition it is often higher in pitch and tonal in quality. 2. The loudness match occurs at very low sensation levels. 3. Masking as a relief procedure is usually easily achieved, requiring only low levels of noise. 4. The masking recommended for relief of tinnitus is found to be acceptable as a substitute for tinnitus. 5. Masking of the tinnitus produces residual inhibition, which frequently is of longer than average duration.