Tinnitus Assessment and Management

Question 1

What is tinnitus

Answer 1

Tinnitus is the awareness of sound which does not have an external source.

There are two types of tinnitus:

• Objective tinnitus: A sound produced by a causal pathology and which can be heard by others (e.g., high blood pressure, otoscelerosis). Often a pulsatile sound.
• Subjective tinnitus: No physical source to the sound. Can only be heard by the patient.

Question 2

What is the underlying cause of tinnitus?

Question 3

How does tinnitus related to hearing loss?

Question 4

How does tinnitus relate to the central auditory system?

Question 5

What is hyperacusis?

Question 6

What causes hyperacusis?

Question 7

How does hyperacusis relate to tinnitus?

Question 8

Common causes of objective tinnitus?

Answer 8

• Arteriovenous malformations
• Vascular tumors
• Venous hum
• Cardiac murmurs
• Pregnancy
• Paget’s disease
• Benign intracranial hypertension
• Muscle spasms
• Patulous eustachian tube
• Meniere’s disease