Invasive Neuromodulation as a Treatment for Tinnitus: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Otolaryngology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Tinnitus is a prevalent condition with a significant burden.
• Current tinnitus treatments lack broad effectiveness.
• Neuromodulation, particularly invasive techniques, is being explored for tinnitus management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the evidence for invasive neuromodulation in treating chronic subjective tinnitus.
• To assess the quality of existing studies on invasive tinnitus neuromodulation.
• To identify research gaps in the field of invasive tinnitus treatment.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
• Searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Clinical Trial Register.
• Included studies since 2005 on adult chronic subjective tinnitus treated with invasive neuromodulation.
• Assessed study quality using the modified Downs and Black checklist.

Main Results:

• Twenty-one studies were included in the review.
• Many studies were of low quality, citing small sample sizes and lack of controlled designs.
• Tinnitus was often a secondary indication in the investigated neuromodulation procedures.

Conclusions:

• Insufficient evidence currently supports the general recommendation of invasive neuromodulation for intractable tinnitus.
• Some promising effects were noted, warranting further investigation.
• Future research should focus on technique optimization and standardized subgroup evaluation for tinnitus treatment.