SS02: TINNITUS: MECHANISMS AND TREATMENT

SOUND THERAPIES FOR TINNITUS TREATMENT

René Dauman

Otolaryngology Department, Unit of Audiology, University of Bordeaux and University Hospital, Bordeaux. France.

Tinnitus is the conscious experience of sound originating in the head whose characteristics are known only to the owner. This sensation sometimes causes suffering, i.e. most people with chronic tinnitus are not too bothered by it. In other words, sensation and suffering are different attributes of tinnitus and most treatments aim to attack one or the other. This presentation will be restricted to tinnitus sufferers.

Even though problems experienced by tinnitus sufferers vary considerably among individuals, sound therapies can be proposed to many of them. One could even say that sound therapies should be attempted before any further therapy that entails the risk of side effects.

The term of sound therapies will be discussed here with a broad meaning, including (a) enrichment of acoustical environment by the patient himself, to attenuate the detrimental effect of staying in excessive silence; (b) selective attention to environmental sounds such as music instruments without having to wear any device; (c) noise generators to accomplish partial masking and/or retraining therapy, especially in individuals with hyperacusis; (d) hearing aids to improve auditory function whether hearing impairment is disclosed by the audiogram or demonstrated by the efforts of concentration needed to understand conversational speech; (e) filtered music approaches; (f) acoustic input to cochlear implants in the few recipients who are not bilaterally deaf.

Finally, reactions to the recommendation of wearing a hearing device for sound therapy will be briefly discussed.