title: Sound stimulation via bone conduction for tinnitus relief: a pilot study.
abstract: For some patients suffering from tinnitus, an external sound stimulator can offer some mitigation. Based on our positive experience with the bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA), it seems possible to transmit a masking or habituating sound via bone conduction. A potential advantage of bone-conducted sound is that it is transmitted to the cochlea without affecting the normal hearing via the external and middle ear. The present pilot study, on patients who use a conventional BAHA and who experience mild-to-moderate tinnitus, shows that bone-conducted sound has the potential to relieve tinnitus in the same way as air-conducted sound. It was also found that these patients, having a significant conduction hearing loss, required conventional sound amplification via a BAHA simultaneously with the stimulus provided by the bone-anchored sound stimulator (BASS). Further studies on patients with more severe tinnitus must be conducted in order to justify the use of a BASS for tinnitus relief.
authors.affiliation: Department of Audiology, University of Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kajsa-Mia
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Holgers
authors.forename: Bo E V
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Håkansson
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001844:Bone Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000628:therapy*