[Tinnitus in the diagnosis and prognosis of ototoxicity]

The prognostic value of tinnitus about the occurrence of hypoacusia in a patient undergoing an ototoxic treatment is not know. Ninety-five patients treated with cisplatinum, a cocleotoxic drug, have been studied to evaluate the percentage of patients with tinnitus, to assess the characteristics of these tinnitus and to know if there is a relationship between its occurrence and the degree of hearing loss that appears after treatment. Thirty-six patients (37.9%) had tinnitus, and there was not a statistically significant relationship between this symptom and the hearing loss. Therefore, tinnitus cannot be used as a prognostic factor for hypoacusia in patients undergoing treatment with cisplatinum.