Incapacitating unilateral tinnitus in single-sided deafness treated by cochlear implantation.
OBJECTIVE
Tinnitus is a well-known, difficult-to-treat symptom of hearing loss. Users of cochlear implants (CIs) have reported a reduction in tinnitus following implantation for bilateral severe-to-profound deafness. This study assessed the effect of electrical stimulation via a CI on tinnitus in subjects with unilateral deafness and ipsilateral tinnitus who underwent implantation in an attempt to treat tinnitus with the CI.


METHODS
Twenty-one subjects who complained of severe intractable tinnitus that was unresponsive to treatment received a CI. Tinnitus loudness was measured with a Visual Analog Scale; loudness percepts were recorded with the device activated and deactivated. Tinnitus distress was measured with the Tinnitus Questionnaire before and after implantation.


RESULTS
Electrical stimulation via a CI resulted in a significant reduction in tinnitus loudness (mean +/- SD; 1 year after implantation, 2.4 +/- 1.8; 2 years after implantation, 2.5 +/- 1.9; before implantation, 8.5 +/- 1.3). With the device deactivated, tinnitus loudness was still reduced to between 6.1 and 7.0 over 24 months. The Tinnitus Questionnaire revealed a significant positive effect of CI stimulation.


CONCLUSIONS
Unilateral tinnitus resulting from single-sided deafness can be treated with electrical stimulation via a CI. The outcomes of this pilot study demonstrate a new method for treatment of tinnitus in select subjects, perhaps an important new indication for cochlear implantation.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Paul
P
Van de Heyning
Katrien
K
Vermeire
Martina
M
Diebl
Peter
P
Nopp
Ilona
I
Anderson
Dirk
D
De Ridder
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001299:Audiometry; D019929:Cochlear Implantation; D003638:Deafness / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*