ABSTRACT
This report describes a three-centre study of the effectiveness of tinnitus maskers, combination instruments (masker plus hearing aid), and hearing aids in the management of tinnitus. Some 472 patients entered the study with 382 reaching the first evaluation session after a minimum period of 6 months from fitting, and 206 reaching the second evaluation not less than 6 months after the first. The study included two control groups, by which to assess the comparative benefit to be derived solely from the investigation and counselling of such patients. The principal results were as follows: thorough investigation and careful counselling do much to help the patient; much further benefit is given by tinnitus masking instruments of various kinds; maskers are more often effective than hearing aids, although the latter are frequently the most appropriate first treatment of those patients who have substantial (but not yet treated or insufficiently treated) hearing difficulties as well; there is no evidence of masking having any harmful effect on hearing. None of the audiometric or tinnitus tests currently employed can be regarded as predictive, either of tinnitus severity, or of the eventual outcome of masking therapy, however certain measurements may help as a guide to patient management.
Subject(s)
Hearing Aids , Perceptual Masking , Tinnitus/therapy , Adult , Aged , Audiometry, Pure-Tone , Auditory Threshold , Clinical Trials as Topic , Combined Modality Therapy , Consumer Behavior , Follow-Up Studies , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/etiology , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/therapy , Humans , Loudness Perception , Middle Aged , Tinnitus/etiologySubject(s)
Hearing Aids , Perceptual Masking , Tinnitus/therapy , Combined Modality Therapy , Humans , Loudness Perception , Tinnitus/etiologyABSTRACT
This paper comprises mainly a description of the clinical practice and experience of the Tinnitus Clinic at the General Hospital, Nottingham, which has evolved as a result of and during the course of a 3-year DHSS-sponsored study of the efficacy of tinnitus maskers. The paper is supported by some experimental data from laboratory, epidemiological and clinical studies, and by information on the number of patients who can be seen, the staff required and the methods used in the clinic.
Subject(s)
Tinnitus/diagnosis , Humans , Loudness Perception , Noise , Perceptual Masking , Pitch Perception , Prognosis , Psychoacoustics , Time Factors , Tinnitus/therapyABSTRACT
Brainstem evoked potentials in response to clicks at 60dB, 70dB and 80dB were recorded from a group of 70 normally hearing subjects. There were 10 subjects (5 male, 5 female) for each of the decades from the second to the eighth. The youngest subject was 14 years, the oldest 79 years. The possibility of there being increased latencies as a function of age was examined. The results indicated that there was, for practical purposes, no such increase. On the other hand there was very strong evidence that in females latenceis are shorter than in males. In addition, amplitudes were reduced in the case of older subjects. Condifidence limits for latency were calculated. These may be helpful in deciding whether or not a particular latency is outside the normal range.
