Effect of sound generator on tinnitus and hyperacusis

Objective: Sound generator (SG) plays a role as effective sound therapy of tinnitus retaining therapy (TRT) in patients with severe tinnitus (Category 1) or hyperacusis (Category 3). This study was performed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of SGs.

Methods: A total of 120 tinnitus patients who visited our tinnitus clinic and were treated with SG along with TRT from January 2008 to December 2016 were included. The patients were divided into two groups by tinnitus category; 78 patients of category 1 and 42 patients of category 3. Their medical records including questionnaires regarding tinnitus severity were retrospectively reviewed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of SGs on tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Results: Category 3 patients included more female patients, were younger than category 1 patients (p?=?.001), and were prescribed SG earlier due to their severe symptom of hyperacusis. (p?=?.004) All patients showed significant improvements on all categories of tinnitus visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) scores after six months use of SG (p?Conclusion: SG with TRT seems to be an effective treatment modality for all tinnitus patients, especially those with comorbid hyperacusis.