Neurootological Evaluation of Tinnitus

We analyse the neurootological data of patients attended in the Ear, Nose and Throat (E.N.T.) department of the Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia for a tinnitus problem. We submitted these patients to our neurootological routine evaluation. This approach is justified in a tinnitus patient because the cochleovestibular system is a unit and acts as a whole. We characterise the population that came to us by sex and mean age. The profile of these patients is then analysed by our neurootological routine evaluation, which comprises the history taking and audiometric as well as equilibriometric investigations. The results of the audiovestibulometric examinations - pure tone audiometry, vocal audiometry, and Brain Evoked Response Audiometry (B.E.R.A.), Cranio-Corpo-Graphy (C.C.G.), Electronystagmography (E.N.G.) - are discussed. We concluded that many tinnitus patients, even those who had no vestibular symptoms, showed some disturbances in the vestibular tests. This fact highlights the need for a complete cochleovestibular investigation in all patients complaining about tinnitus.