Open Access
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Laryngorhinootologie 2022; 101(S 02): S243-S244
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1746902
Poster
Otology / Neurootology / Audiology: Tinnitus

Tinnitus suppression by extracochlear electrical stimulation using the promontory test

Authors

  • SerdarOguzhan Karasen

    1   Evangelisches Krankenhaus Oldenburg, Universitätsklinik für Hals- Nasen- Ohrenheilkunde Oldenburg

  • JanaAnnina Müller

    1   Evangelisches Krankenhaus Oldenburg, Universitätsklinik für Hals- Nasen- Ohrenheilkunde Oldenburg

  • Wiebke Laffers

    1   Evangelisches Krankenhaus Oldenburg, Universitätsklinik für Hals- Nasen- Ohrenheilkunde Oldenburg

  • Andreas Radeloff

    1   Evangelisches Krankenhaus Oldenburg, Universitätsklinik für Hals- Nasen- Ohrenheilkunde Oldenburg
Further Information
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Introduction 

It is well known that cochlear implants lead to tinnitus suppression in many cases. In this study, we investigate whether tinnitus suppression and/or a change in tinnitus character can also be achieved by extracochlear electrical stimulation using promontorial testing.

Materials and Methods 

We included 6 patients who presented to our clinic for cochlear implantation, had tinnitus, and underwent a promontory test during the preliminary examinations.

During the promontory test, electrostimulation with a frequency of 1000 pulses/s was applied to the subjects for 3 minutes. During and subsequently, tinnitus and tinnitus character were classified using a Visual Analog Scale.

Results 

In 3 of the 6 patients, tinnitus suppression with residual inhibition of several minutes was recorded. In addition, besides tinnitus suppression, a change in tinnitus character from noise to whistling was observed in one patient, which persisted for more than 2 minutes after the stimulation was terminated. One patient reported a low-grade progression of tinnitus that lasted for a few minutes. In two other patients, the tinnitus remained unchanged.

Discussion 

The preliminary data show that extracochlear electrical stimulation may also be a promising method for the treatment of tinnitus. We used a high pulse rate for this purpose, as is common in CI fitting.

Some of the patients may experience an increase in tinnitus even under electrostimulation. A continuation of the study is necessary and planned to evaluate these preliminary results in a larger cohort.



Publication History

Article published online:
24 May 2022

© 2022. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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