Junichi Matsushima and Aiko Matsushima
Sapporo, Japan
Based on tone of tinnitus there are several types such as continuous, pulsatile, or imitative sounds. Although origin of tinnitus is still unclear, among these tones, tinnitus with imitative sounds may originate from NVC (Neurovascular Compression) of the 8th Nerve.
A battery of treatments including external electrical stimulation, intravenous injection of VB12 and psychological therapies such as autogenic training, life style intervention, and counseling have been used to treat tinnitus and the outcomes of the treatments have been presented at the 50th NES (Neuro-Equlibriometric Society) congress held in Prague in 2014.
A total of 6472 tinnitus patients have been treated from July 2008 to January 2015 using our battery of treatments. Among these patients there were 523 subjects with imitative sounds which may be ascribed to Neurovascular Compression (NVC).
191 patients (37%) experienced complete relief, 262 patients (50%) partial relief, and 70 patients (13%) no relief. The rate of relief for high tone tinnitus was poorer than for low and middle tones (p=0.003, p=0.045). There was more improvement in hearing loss in patients with lower tone tinnitus (p=0.0002).
Among the factors affecting the outcomes, the tinnitus intensity where complete relief was achieved was lower than that for patients achieving partial relief or no relief (p=0.002, p=0.002) and the tinnitus intensity in patients achieving improvements in hearing was lower than in patients who did not improve (p=0.007). The improvement in hearing was associated with relief in tinnitus (p<0.0001).
This study suggests that therapy incorporating a number of approaches would be advantageous for tinnitus treatment.