title: Comparison of efficacy of different treatment methods in the treatment of idiopathic tinnitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to detect whether any differences were present between betahistine dihydrochloride, transcutaneal electrical nerve stimulation and pure tone masking-tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) methods in the effects on quality of life and treatment of the symptoms of the patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 91 patients (42 females, 49 males; mean age 49.3±8.3 years; range 30 to 70 years) who admitted to the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic of the Ufuk University between June 2009 and June 2010 with a complaint of subjective tinnitus and who had no hearing loss were included in the study. In this study, the effects of these three treatment methods on healing and quality of life in patients suffering from bilateral subjective tinnitus were comparatively evaluated using Tinnitus Handicap Inventory Score (THIS), visual analog scale (VAS) and audiological parameters. The evaluations were made immediately before the treatment, immediately after the treatment and three weeks after the treatment. Kolmogorov-Smirnov analysis was used to test the normal distribution of the data and Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to show the differences between the different treatment methods before the treatment, immediately after the treatment and three weeks after the treatment. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used to show the inter-group differences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the inter-group analyzes, success rate of the pure tone masking-TRT was much higher when compared to the other treatment methods. In the evaluations performed at the end of the three-month period, it was seen that the efficacy of the treatment was continuing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to these results, pure tone masking-TRT was found to be the best treatment method when compared to other methods and it was concluded that this treatment may be considered as the first choice in patients with idiopathic tinnitus.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology, Medicine Faculty of Ufuk University, Ankara, Turkey. beriat4@gmail.com
authors: Güçlü Kaan
authors: GK
authors: Beriat
authors: Hande
authors: H
authors: Ezerarslan
authors: Sefik Halit
authors: SH
authors: Akmansu
authors: Songül
authors: S
authors: Aksoy
authors: Saime
authors: S
authors: Ay
authors: Sebnem Koldaş
authors: SK
authors: Doğan
authors: Deniz
authors: D
authors: Evcik
authors: Sinan
authors: S
authors: Kocatürk