Tinnitus Measurement and Treatment

Part 1. measurement of tinnitus

Abstract

Quantitative measurements of tinnitus were recorded in 101 patients who visited the otolaryngologic clinic of Nippon Medical School Hospital, and the results were correlated with the patients' subjective symptoms.
In approximetely 50per cent of the patients, the center pitch of the tinnitus which was measured by the pitch match method, performed in both the ipsilateral and contralateral ears, was above 4000Hz. The tinnitus frequencies measured by the pitch match method, however, did not correlate with the qualitative tinnitus pitch described by the patients. In other words, if a patient complains of low pitch tinnitus, the pitch match method may give approximately 6000Hz.
In assessing the loudness of tinnitus, the loudness balance method was better than the masking method. In the loudness balance method, a pure tone should be presented in an ascending series of 1dB steps. The contralateral ear is a better test ear than the ipsilateral ear, since in the ipsilateral ear patients sometimes confuse the test tone with the tinnitus. The loudness of the tinnitus measured quantitatively by the loudness balance method and the masking method showed no correlation with the patients' complaints. In other words, if a patient complains of severe tinnitus which disturbs his sleep, the loudness balance method may give a loudness level of less than 5dB.
Bekesy's audiometry (continuous frequency) was performed in all cases. In some of the patients there was a positive correlation between the threshold shift in the audiogram and the frequency of the tinnitus measured by the pitch match method.