ABSTRACT
AIM: The effect of the transcutaneous application of the electrical stimulus on tinnitus perception has been reviewed in a placebo-controlled, randomized and comparative analysis to eventually determine the outcome of the therapeutic role of the therapy. METHOD: There are 42 patients who were randomized into 2 groups according to their order of admission. Group A consists of 31 patients who were subjected to transcutaneous electrical stimulation 3 times a week for 1 month. Group B includes 11 patients who had electrical stimulus attachment but where no stimulus was given (placebo group). The stimulator is a custom-made device which generates direct and alternative current in 10-200 Hz frequency. An alternative low-frequency (not >100 Hz) pulsed current was used for tinnitus therapy through a preauricular skin electrode. The amplitude of stimulus ranged between 50 and 2,000 mA. The pulse frequency was 30 Hz. Each session lasted for 25 min for both groups. Statistical analysis was performed. RESULT: The rate of improvement following the therapy was 42.8% (18/42) in the electrical therapy group and 28.5% (4/14) in the placebo group. CONCLUSION: Electrical suppression of the tinnitus does not offer a promising outcome for patients with tinnitus in the presented study.
Subject(s)
Tinnitus/therapy , Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation , Adult , Aged , Female , Hearing Loss/diagnosis , Hearing Loss/etiology , Hearing Loss/physiopathology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Speech Perception , Time Factors , Tinnitus/complications , Tinnitus/diagnosis , Tinnitus/physiopathology , Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation/instrumentation , Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation/methods , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: We investigated cochlear function in normal-hearing patients with tinnitus using distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 20 normal-hearing patients with tinnitus (13 males, 7 females; mean age 25 years; range 17 to 52 years) and 15 controls (10 males, 5 females; mean age 23 years; range 18 to 27 years) with normal hearing. Both groups underwent routine audiological tests including audiometry and tympanometry. Cubic DPOAEs were recorded from both groups. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) lower than the 10th percentile of the control values were regarded as abnormal or undetectable. RESULTS: Tinnitus was bilateral in seven patients and unilateral in 13 patients. Seven patients with unilateral tinnitus and all patients with bilateral tinnitus had a history of exposure to noise. The mean perceived frequencies for tinnitus were 6.3 kHz and 6.2 kHz in the left and right ears, respectively. Loudness was measured as 8 dB SL in the left ears, and 7 dB SL in the right ears. Compared to unilateral cases, patients with bilateral tinnitus exhibited a higher percentage of abnormal SNRs at most frequencies. Some asymptomatic ears in the patient group had abnormal results. CONCLUSION: These findings show that tinnitus in normal-hearing patients is often associated with varying degrees of cochlear dysfunction. The results also suggest that tinnitus may be regarded as an early manifestation of noise-induced hearing loss in patients with a history of exposure to noise.