The medical audiological evaluation of tinnitus patients

We outline our routine approach to tinnitus patients, highlighting the different aspects of our examination: the clinical history, objective ear, nose, and throat and general examination, and audiovestibular testing. We emphasize the interest in testing not only the cochlear but the vestibular function of the inner ear. In our view, this testing is of paramount importance, for the cochleovestibular system is a unit, acting as a whole. All these data are stored in a database bank. Then we present our preliminary results. Currently, we have 83 patients suffering from tinnitus, and their results are statistically presented. We characterize the population in terms of its gender distribution and mean age. The localization and characteristics of tinnitus and the associated symptoms also are noted. The results of the audiovestibulometric examinations-pure-tone audiometry, vocal audiometry, and brain evoked response audiometry craniocorpography and electronystagmography 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 of tinnitus.