Abstract
The Japanese standard test methods used to assess tinnitus are described in this paper. The standard test methods use three different procedures.
The first method consists of evaluation of subjective manifestations of tinnitus. Patients were asked to describe the character of their tinnitus, for example, its loudness. The second method is a test of the physical characteristics of the tinnitus. The pitch mach test and the loudness balance test are included in the second method. The pitch match test estimates pitch sensation as its frequency, and the loudness balance test measures the loudness of the tinnitus as the sound pressure level. The third method consist of a test that uses the masking phenomenon. As the test sound grows louder, the tinnitus becomes masked by the test sound. This phenomenon had been used for tinnitus masker therapy.
