Having tinnitus means hearing an annoying sound that is not there, this definition is strange, but for many people it is real and is a serious problem. Tinnitus is a buzz, a hiss, a rustle that constantly or occasionally makes the lives of many people unhappy. It is not possible to establish exactly how many people are affected by this disorder. I believe it is reliable to think of 8% in the adult population and I believe that it reaches 15% if we consider the elderly population (over 65 years). There is no substantial difference between males and females.
The diseases that cause tinnitus or ringing
almost always affect the MIDDLE and INTERNAL EAR.
Very rarely the external ear.
Tinnitus often occurs in the cochlea (8) or in the cochlear nerve (10).
Vestibular neve (9) diseases can also generate tinnitus.
Acoustic neuroma is typical.
I am convinced that in most cases this symptom is a consequence of a disease of the hearing system. My approach is to evaluate the auditory function already in the first approach. Tonal audiometry, impedancemetry and acuphenometry. Extraotological tinnitus is very rare.
At the Columbus Clinic Center in Milan I met several people affected by this problem and I believe that with the equipment I have it is possible to carry out a good evaluation. In many cases it is possible to hypothesize a precise clinical diagnosis. A correct diagnosis is not always able to identify a correct therapy.
In the following image my diagnostic approach to the patient whose main symptom is tinnitus.
Columbus Clinic Center entrance
The difficulties in eliminating tinnitus are mainly proportional to the time of onset. If the tinnitus has arisen recently and there are evident audiological signs, there are possibilities to achieve an attenuation or even disappearance.
Milan - Columbus Clinic Center - via Buonarroti, 48 - City Life - Phone +39 3358040811
Carlo Govoni MD - Otolaryngologist
See also:
- Ringing, tinnitus, whistling, buzzing are noise in the ear
- Tinnitus and sensorineural hearing loss.
- Searching for the audiometric threshold, a fundamental examination of audiology
- Tocainide Hydrochloride in the treatment of tinnitus
- Fondation Pormann - Course on ear surgery and temporal bone dissection
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