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DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1746904
Clinical study evaluating tinnitussupression by electrostimulation for the development of a middle ear implant as part of the INTAKT-composite project
Authors
Background
Funded by the BMBF, the aim of the INTAK-project is the development, characterization and preclinical evaluation of a new generation of interactive, networked implants.
Our project is divided into a clinical and an animal experimental part and aims to create a unit that is easy to implant and that can suppress tinnitus locally and individually, especially in hearing patients.
Methods
69 patients were included in this interventional prospective clinical study so far. During the study the patients were stimulated with an electrode in the ear canal on three consecutive dates. The electrical conducted frequencies used were 100 hz und 1000 hz with a 10 minute stimulation period. Before and after the stimulation, a visual analog scale was used to measure the tinnitusvolume and the emotional distress subjectively.
Results
33 study participants reported a suppression of tinnitus, lasting between a few minutes and several hours. In 29 patients no change in tinnitus volume was seen. At 4 there was a short increase in tinnitus.
Summary
Our ongoing study supports the feasibility of using electrical stimulation to suppress tinnitus. The results obtained form the basis for further investigations and indicated that individual stimulation is possible on a patient-specific basis.
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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