title: The role of tinnitus evaluation tests in differentiating functional versus organic tinnitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the usefulness of tinnitus tests in differentiating patients with functional tinnitus from patients with organic tinnitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred ninety-six patients with tinnitus were divided into 2 groups. Forty-three patients, group 1, were not exposed to noise and had sensorineural hearing loss. One hundred fifty-three patients, group 2, were exposed to noise and claimed disability. All the patients underwent 4 tinnitus evaluation tests: pitch matching, intensity matching, residual inhibition, and tinnitus masking. We compared the results of the tinnitus tests between the 2 groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group 1 patients had a high-frequency, low-intensity tinnitus that tended to be more inhibited by narrow-band noise, was usually consistent with type I Feldman masking curve, and could be effectively masked. Group 2 patients had tinnitus that could not be characterized. The results of the tinnitus tests were significantly different between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tinnitus tests may help us differentiate functional tinnitus that is not of cochlear origin from genuine tinnitus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel. avichai@mcc.org.il
authors.forename: Nili Tal
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Segal
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puterman
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shkolnik
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Niv
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Anat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kochva
authors.forename: Mordechai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kraus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D010898:Pitch Perception; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology