Successful treatment of a postpolio tinnitus with type a botulinum toxin.
OBJECTIVE
Objective tinnitus is a symptom often observed in patients with chronic hyperactivity of masticatory muscles.


METHODS
We report here the unusual case of a 63-year-old woman who developed a distressing tinnitus related to contractions of reinnervated masticatory muscles. This reinnervation process was caused by a postpolio syndrome that gave rise to an acoustic resonance phenomenon transmitted to the middle ear as an audible sound.


RESULTS
The tinnitus was successfully treated with electromyography-guided intramuscular injections of type A botulinum toxin.


CONCLUSIONS
The intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin was found to be effective in relieving severe and disabling postpolio tinnitus.
Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland. Paolo.Scolozzi@hospvd.ch
Paolo
P
Scolozzi
Emmanuel
E
Carrera
Bertrand
B
Jaques
Thierry
T
Kuntzer
D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004576:Electromyography / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008410:Masticatory Muscles / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009465:Neuromuscular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016262:Postpoliomyelitis Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*
D009465:Neuromuscular Agents; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A