[Evaluation of primary tinnitus with fine puretone test and estimate of the technique]

Abstract

Objective:To evaluate the relative factors of the severity and characteristics of primary tinnitus patients with fine puretone test(FPT) by three kinds of octaves, and to estimate the clinical application of this technique.Method:All subjects(n=90, ears=108), diagnosed with primary tinnitus, were recruited during July 2017 to February 2018 from the out-patients of Nanfang Hospital. In the prospective design, the patients were randomly divided into group 1/3 octave(n=30, ears=35), group 1/12 octave(n=30, ears=37) and group 1/24 octave(n=30, ears=36). Then tinnitus handicap inventory(THI), FPT, time and degree of residual inhibition(RI), time and degree of hyposensitization test, time attenuation test of masking(TATM) were used for evaluating the diseased and healthy ear performed separately.Result:Eighty-six patients were taken THI. The severity of tinnitus was no significant correlation with the gender,ear,sleep time and working time(P>0.05),but positive correlation with age(r=0.274, P=0.011) and duration of tinnitus(r=0.239, P=0.026). The selfassessment loudness score(SALS)(r=0.542,P=0.000) and the visual analogue score(VAS)(r=0.529, P=0.000) showed a moderate positive correlation. In the 1/24 octave, except for the TATM of the diseased ear group, the results of other groups were statistically different from the 1/3 octave(P<0.05), and much suitable than the 1/3 octave. Moreover, the results showed that the time of RI in the left and diseased ear group, the time of HT in the right, left and diseased ear group, the degree of HT in the right ear group were statistically different from the 1/12 octave(P<0.05) respectively, and much suitable than the 1/12 octave. The 1/12 octave was only statistically different from the 1/3 octave in TATM of the diseased ear group(P<0.05), and much suitable than the 1/3 octave.Conclusion:This study shows that gender, ear, sleep time, and working time had no significant effect on the severity of tinnitus, the age and duration of tinnitus have certain effects on the severity of tinnitus, the SALS, VAS score and the severity of tinnitus are moderately positively correlated. The 1/24 octave is significantly much suitable than the 1/3 octave and the 1/12 octave. And the technique of FPT is beneficial to improve the reliability and accuracy of the tinnitus evaluation.

Keywords: tinnitus; fine puretone test; octave.