High-frequency audiometry in the diagnosis of tinnitus

Abstract

BackgroundSubjective tinnitus is an unpleasant perception of sound without any external acoustic stimulus. It can be manifested in the form of various phantom sounds, which most often resemble ringing, whistling, squeaking, noise, chirping, or buzzing. The sounds are heard solely by the sufferer and can occur in the middle of the head, but also in the ears—on one or both sides.AimThe aim of the study was to evaluate the hearing capacity based on audiometric threshold measurements in the frequency range of 0.125–16 kHz in patients with tinnitus. In addition, we investigated the following questions:Can high-frequency audiometry be useful in the diagnosis of tinnitus?Does hearing loss occur in an increasingly wide frequency range with age compared to the control group?Can tinnitus be considered the first symptom of the onset of high-frequency hearing loss?MethodsThe study included 99 patients, all of whom underwent pure-tone audiometry (PTA) and extended high-frequency audiometry (HFA) in the ranges of 0.125–8 kHz and 8–16 kHz, respectively. In each patient (excluding the control group), tinnitus was characterized in terms of its frequency and intensity.Results and conclusionThe study concluded that tinnitus may be a symptom indicating the presence of high-frequency hearing loss as hearing loss occurs in an increasingly wider frequency range with age, so HFA should be a routine audiological test in patients with tinnitus.