ABSTRACT
An electrical tinnitus suppressor developed at the Hokkaido University was implanted in two women and five men, aged 44-77 years old. To evaluate the efficacy of the suppressor, a self-administered tinnitus stress test (TST), annoyance index (AI), and tinnitus intensity index (TII) were conducted 1 1/2-3 years after implantation of the device. Residual inhibition results found at outpatient clinics and at the homes of patients with implanted suppressors were closely correlated except in one patient in whom the device's electrode was free from the promontorium tympani. The AI registered at a severe level in five patients and a moderate level in two patients before implantation of the suppressor. However, the AI improved after the operation, being moderate in three patients and mild in two, and achieving no level in two patients. After the operation, the TST improved except in one patient whose device had electrode trouble. The TII registered as extreme in all patients before implantation of the suppressor, although the intensity of tinnitus varied from patient to patient according to the loudness balance test. After device implantation, the TII did not register any level in two patients, was mild in another two patients, was moderate in yet two more patients, and was severe in a patient whose device had electrode trouble. After the operation, at TST, AI, and TII results were positively correlated (p =.01), though there was no correlation among these parameters before the operation.
ABSTRACT
Cutaneous digital blood flow (CDBF) during electrical promontory stimulation was measured by laser Doppler flowmetry in 46 tinnitus patients. In patients with tinnitus suppression. CDBF was increased. In contrast, patients in whom treatment did not suppress tinnitus experienced no change in digital blood flow. The cutaneous digital blood flow of patients who experienced slight relief did not differ significantly from patients who experienced no relief. The ratio of CDBF before and after treatment did not correlate with patient age, audiogram pattern. Our results suggest that relief of tinnitus was closely related to increased parasympathetic nerve tone.
ABSTRACT
Grammatically correct but nonsense twenty 4-segment sentences mixed with multiple talk recorded on CD were delivered to ears tested in 47 tinnitus patients at a comfortable level via a headphone. The signal-to-noise ratios were 0dB, 5dB and 10dBSPL. Patients were requested to repeat what they heard before and after electrical treatment. A sinusoidal wave of 10kHz at the intensity of about 200mA was delivered to ears for 30 minutes by using a plate electrode for ECG at the tragus or a stimulating Pt-Ir electrode on the middle ear. Alternatively, 0.5mA DC was delivered to patients using a iontophoretic instrument. Improved word perception under noises was observed in most patients with tinnitus relief following electrical stimulation of the ear, demonstrating that electrical stimulation improved auditory selective attention. There may be a relationship between tinnitus relief and improved selective attention. It may be electrical stimulation of the ears that produced improved selective attention, inducing tinnitus relief and improved word perception according to our previous reports.
