Tinnitus in the profoundly hearing-impaired and the effects of cochlear implants

Of the 82 adult patients implanted in the Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program 304, 22 patients (27%) reported a bothersome tinnitus preoperatively. The tinnitus handicap experienced preoperatively in this profoundly deaf population is greater than that reported by mildly to severely hearing-impaired patients. The magnitude of their handicap was not correlated with age or preoperative hearing loss. After 2 years of cochlear implant use, a reduction in the tinnitus handicap was reported in 9, and an increase was noted in 3 of the 22 patients. In addition, 3 patients experienced a "severe" tinnitus 2 years after receiving a cochlear implant, whereas they had not reported a "bothersome" tinnitus preoperatively. One patient reported a tinnitus immediately after the surgery, but it subsided within a few days.