Abstract
Tinnitus is a common symptom of hearing impairment. Patients who are bilaterally hard of hearing are often affected by tinnitus. However, they cannot undergo any of the standard tinnitus therapies, since they rely on hearing. Cochlear implantation (CI) used to treat severe hearing disabilities, such as bilateral hearing loss, was also shown to reduce tinnitus. Our goal was to determine if CI induces sustained reduction of tinnitus. We performed prospective, longitudinal analyses of tinnitus-related distress in a uniform group of bilaterally deafened patients after CI. The homogenous sample consisted of 41 patients who met the inclusion criteria and were consecutively included in this study. The impact of unilateral CI on tinnitus-related distress, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and hearing abilities was studied with validated instruments. The follow-up appointments were scheduled at 6, 12, and 24 months after CI surgery. During the appointments, hearing abilities were estimated with monosyllabic Freiburg test, whereas the tinnitus-related distress, the HRQoL, and the subjective hearing were measured with standard questionnaires [Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ), Nijmegen Cochlear Implantation Questionnaire, and Oldenburg Inventory, respectively]. Tinnitus-related distress decreased significantly from the mean TQ score of 35.0 (SD = 19.6) prior to surgery to the mean TQ = 27.54 (SD = 20.0) 6 months after surgery and remained sustained low until the end of follow-up period. In addition, CI significantly improved the hearing abilities and the HRQoL of all patients. The results from our prospective study suggest that in a homogenous sample of bilaterally deafened, implanted patients who report having tinnitus prior to surgery, CI alone not only improves the hearing abilities but also significantly reduces the tinnitus-related distress and improves the HRQoL in a sustained way.
Highlights
Tinnitus is a common symptom of hearing impairment [1,2,3]
Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ) score decreased significantly already 6 months after cochlear implantation (CI), and this improvement was sustained over the 24-month follow-up period (Figure 2)
To the best of our knowledge, our present study demonstrates for the first time the course of tinnitus-related distress in a homogenous cohort of bilaterally hard of hearing and tinnitus-positive patients, before and after CI
Summary
Tinnitus is a common symptom of hearing impairment [1,2,3]. Therapeutic use of hearing aids to treat mild-to moderate hearing loss was demonstrated to correlate with a decrease of tinnitus [4], the data generated by clinical research neither support nor dismiss the use of hearing aids in tinnitus treatment [5]. Of all types of hearing impairment, the most cumbersome is the severe bilateral hearing loss, which is often treated with cochlear implantation (CI) [6,7,8,9,10]. Various studies addressed the relationship between cochlear implants and tinnitus [12]; the outcomes of the studies were somewhat conflicting. The design of clinical trials is often retrospective and the patients included have various types of hearing impairment [21,22,23].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
