Results of TRT after eighteen months: our experience

Int J Audiol. 2007 May;46(5):217-22. doi: 10.1080/14992020601175945.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of TRT in patients suffering from tinnitus. The tinnitus disorder affects about 10-15% of the population and, in one person out of a hundred, it is a disabling disorder. TRT treatment is based on Jastreboff's neurophysiological model. TRT consists of two parts: counselling, and sound therapy by means of dedicated hearing aids and sound generators. It proved to be useful to reduce the symptoms related to tinnitus. Jastreboff's structured interviews were proposed to a sample of 51 patients with tinnitus belonging to the I-II-III-IV classes according to Jastreboff. These patients were treated for 18 months. Sixty-eight percent of patients reported a reduction in the symptoms related to tinnitus, such as sleep disturbance, problems in concentration, and inability to relax. A percentage (64.7%) of patients thought that their quality of life was improved. Patients who had suffered from tinnitus for less than one year achieved significantly better results than patients who had suffered for a longer period of time. TRT is an effective tool in the treatment of tinnitus.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attention
  • Counseling*
  • Female
  • Habituation, Psychophysiologic*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Perceptual Masking*
  • Quality of Life
  • Relaxation
  • Sleep
  • Sound*
  • Tinnitus / physiopathology*
  • Tinnitus / psychology
  • Tinnitus / rehabilitation*
  • Treatment Outcome