title: Tinnitus management with percutaneous osseointegrated auditory implants for unilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effects, if any, of percutaneous osseointegrated auditory implants (OAI) on tinnitus in patients with unilateral SNHL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary academic referral center, single surgeon.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult OAI recipients with unilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in the implanted ear.
  
  
  METHODS
  Percutaneous OAI.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire (TRQ) and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) were recorded pre-implantation, and at 6 and 12 months following device activation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten eligible patients were enrolled. The mean pre-operative TRQ and THI scores for all subjects were 32.80 ± 23.41 and 37.00 ± 22.75, respectively. Both scores decreased 6 months after device activation, with TRQ mean of 19.67 ± 21.73 (p=0.0012) and THI mean of 27.11 ± 23.41 (NS). After 12 months, the downward trend continued with TRQ mean of 17.30 ± 20.67 (p=0.0008) and THI mean of 21.70 ± 23.02 (p=0.0116). Subgroup analysis comparing patients with severe SNHL to those with profound SNHL demonstrated a decrease in TRQ and THI scores at 12 months for both groups, but it was only statistically significant for the severe SNHL group (n=7).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OAI use in SSD is associated with a statistically significant decrease in tinnitus as measured by the TRQ and THI. The reasons for this are likely multifactorial, though possibly due to stimulation of residual cochlear function in the SSD ear. Further study of a larger cohort is ongoing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery. Electronic address: yula.indeyeva@vcuhealth.org.
authors.forename: Yula A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Indeyeva
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery.
authors.forename: Terrence
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imbrey
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia.
authors.forename: Guimin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery.
authors.forename: Daniel H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Coelho
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016348:Osseointegration; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*