Tinnitus. III: The practical management of sensorineural tinnitus.
A weekly tinnitus clinic at University College Hospital, London, has been in existence since 1976. By developing a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to the management of tinnitus, we have been able to help the majority of patients referred with severe and disabling tinnitus. We have developed a protocol for the clinical assessment of tinnitus as a disability, and a strategy of investigation and reassurance based on the patient's understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in tinnitus generation. Most treatment is aimed at bringing about a process of habituation (which occurs naturally in the majority of people experiencing tinnitus over a period of time). Symptom control is required in about half the patients referred, and various techniques are discussed including prosthetic masking devices, psychological approaches, drug therapy and electrical tinnitus suppression.
Hazell
J W
JW
Royal National Institute for the Deaf, London, England.
D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*