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Tinnitus suppression in a prospective cohort of 45 cochlear implant recipients: occurrence, degree and correlates

  • Otology
  • Published:
European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To determine tinnitus prevalence and severity in a cohort of unselected first-time cochlear implant (CI) recipients whose primary motive for CI was sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), and to evaluate the effect of CI on tinnitus after cochlear implantation.

Methods

Prospective longitudinal study of 45 adult CI recipients with moderate to profound SNHL. Patients completed the Danish version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and a visual analogue scale (VAS) for tinnitus burden before implantation, 4 months after implantation and 14 months after implantation.

Results

The study included 45 patients, of which 29 (64%) had pre-implant tinnitus. Median THI score (IQR) significantly decreased from 20 (34) to 12 (24) at first follow-up (p < 0.05) and to 6 points (17) at second follow-up (p < 0.001). Median VAS (IQR) for tinnitus burden decreased from 33 (62) to 17 (40; p = 0.228) and 12 (27, p < 0.05) at the first and second follow-ups, respectively. Tinnitus was totally suppressed in 19% of patients, improved in 48%, remained unchanged in 19% and worsened in 6%. 2 patients reported new tinnitus. At the second follow-up, 74% of patients had slight or no tinnitus handicap, 16% had mild handicaps, 6% had moderate handicaps, and 3% had severe handicaps. High pre-implant THI and VAS scores correlated with greater decrease in THI scores over time.

Conclusion

64% of the patients with SNHL had pre-implant tinnitus, which was decreased 4 and 14 months after implantation. Overall, 68% of patients with tinnitus improved their tinnitus handicap after CI. Patients with higher THI and VAS scores had a larger decline and the highest benefits in terms of tinnitus handicap improvement. The study findings demonstrate that the majority of patients with moderate to profound SNHL eligible for cochlear implantation benefit from complete or partial tinnitus suppression and improved quality of life after implantation.

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Code availability

All codes for data cleaning and analysis associated with the current submission are available in OSF at https://osf.io/25azh/?view_only=cd198a9c61bc46929b7359572db67523.

Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analysed during the study are included in this published article and presented in Table 2. The anonymized full datasets are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.

Abbreviations

CI:

Cochlear implant

dB HL:

Decibel hearing level

HA:

Hearing aid

NCIQ:

Nijmegen cochlear implant questionnaire

PTA6:

Pure-tone audiometry average for six frequencies

SNHL:

Sensorineural hearing loss

SRS:

Speech reception score

SSQ-12:

Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale

THI:

Tinnitus Handicap Inventory

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Funding

K.R. has received a research grant from the William Demant Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Kasper Dyre Rasmussen, Niels Cramer West, Michael Bille & Per Cayé-Thomasen

  2. Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Kasper Dyre Rasmussen, Niels Cramer West, Michael Bille & Per Cayé-Thomasen

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Correspondence to Kasper Dyre Rasmussen.

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Institutional review board statement

The study was approved by The Danish National Committee on Health Research Ethics (H-17034918) and The Danish Data Protection Agency (RH-2017-308).

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Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

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Rasmussen, K.D., West, N.C., Bille, M. et al. Tinnitus suppression in a prospective cohort of 45 cochlear implant recipients: occurrence, degree and correlates. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 280, 4073–4082 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-023-07921-1

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