title: The Relevance of the High Frequency Audiometry in Tinnitus Patients with Normal Hearing in Conventional Pure-Tone Audiometry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The majority of tinnitus patients suffer from hearing loss. But a subgroup of tinnitus patients show normal hearing thresholds in the conventional pure-tone audiometry (125 Hz-8 kHz). Here we explored whether the results of the high frequency audiometry (>8 kHz) provide relevant additional information in tinnitus patients with normal conventional audiometry by comparing those with normal and pathological high frequency audiometry with respect to their demographic and clinical characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  From the database of the Tinnitus Clinic at Regensburg we identified 75 patients with normal hearing thresholds in the conventional pure-tone audiometry. We contrasted these patients with normal and pathological high-frequency audiogram and compared them with respect to gender, age, tinnitus severity, pitch, laterality and duration, comorbid symptoms and triggers for tinnitus onset.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with pathological high frequency audiometry were significantly older and had higher scores on the tinnitus questionnaires in comparison to patients with normal high frequency audiometry. Furthermore, there was an association of high frequency audiometry with the laterality of tinnitus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In tinnitus patients with normal pure-tone audiometry the high frequency audiometry provides useful additional information. The association between tinnitus laterality and asymmetry of the high frequency audiometry suggests a potential causal role for the high frequency hearing loss in tinnitus etiopathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vielsmeier
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lehner
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strutz
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Steffens
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Kreuzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schecklmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany ; Clinic Lech-Mangfall, 83734 Agatharied, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Landgrebe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Berthold
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Langguth
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany ; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Zurich, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kleinjung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*