title: Effect of a 4-Week Treatment with Cilostazol in Patients with Chronic Tinnitus: A Randomized, Prospective, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Pilot Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the efficacy of cilostazol, a selective phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitor, in patients with chronic tinnitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult patients of chronic tinnitus lasting more than 3 months were included. Fifty eligible patients were randomly assigned to either cilostazol or control (placebo) group. The study medication of oral 100-mg cilostazol and a matching placebo were used twice a day for 4 weeks. Subjective tinnitus severity was evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS), tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), and Short-Form 36 health survey (SF-36) at baseline and at 2 and 4 weeks after study initiation. Changes in tinnitus pitch and loudness matching values were also analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The improvement range in the VAS score was significantly greater in the cilostazol group than in the placebo group after 4 weeks' administration of cilostazol. The SF-36 subscales also showed improvement in quality of life in the physical component summary subscale, the aggregate subscale of the physical category. There were no significant improvements in the cilostazol group compared to the placebo group in the THI subscales and tinnitus characteristics of pitch and loudness matching values. Various degrees of headaches were experienced by 68% of patients in the cilostazol group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A 4-week administration of oral cilostazol in patients with chronic tinnitus may mitigate the severity of subjective tinnitus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Korea. jwchung@amc.seoul.kr.
authors.forename: Hyun Woo
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Tae Su
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Woo Seok
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Chan Il
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Seunghee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.forename: Jong Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D000077407:Cilostazol; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058987:Phosphodiesterase 3 Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013777:Tetrazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000188:drug therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D058987:Phosphodiesterase 3 Inhibitors; D013777:Tetrazoles; D000077407:Cilostazol