PMID: 15379342Sep 24, 2004Paper

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions in tinnitus patients

The International Tinnitus Journal
Ektor Tsuneo OnishiFabio Akira Suzuki

Abstract

Tinnitus is a symptom that affects a great number of patients. Its diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up are difficult, owing to its subjectivity. The authors propose the use of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) in tinnitus evaluation. They studied three groups: controls, having no complaint of tinnitus and normal hearing; group 1, presenting tinnitus and normal audiometry; and group 2, presenting tinnitus and sensorineural hearing loss. The results showed 3.6% of DPOAE alterations in the control group, 18.8% in group 1, and 61.3% in group 2. This study shows a correlation between DPOAE alterations and tinnitus complaint, but many patients with tinnitus do not present with DPOAE alterations. The authors conclude that DPOAEs constitute a useful audiological method for evaluating patients complaining of tinnitus.

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