Study of the efficacy of cochleural alternating acoustic beam therapy combined with internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic idiopathic tinnitus

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of the cochleural alternating acoustic beam therapy （CeAABT） combined with internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy （iCBT） for chronic idiopathic tinnitus. Methods One hundred and twelve patients who were diagnosed with chronic idiopathic tinnitus were selected and randomly divided into two groups（both n = 65）. In the control group，iCBT was adopted and CeAABT combined with iCBT were given in the observation group for consecutive 12 weeks. The changes of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory （THI），the Visual Analogue Scale （VAS） and tinnitus loudness before and after treatment were compared between two groups. Results After corresponding treatment，THI，VAS and tinnitus loudness were significantly reduced in two groups （all P < 0.05）. The THI score （35.34±7.51），VAS score （3.38±1.34） and tinnitus loudness（34.53±5.77） in the CeAABT combined with iCBT group were significantly lower than those in the control group（40.13±10.95，3.91±1.38 and 39.39±6.92），and the differences were statistically significant（all P < 0.05）. Conclusions CeAABT combined with iCBT can effectively reduce the tinnitus loudness and mitigate negative emotions caused by tinnitus. Besides，it can also improve the quality of life of patients with chronic tinnitus. It is a simple and safe treatment for tinnitus，which is worthy of further research and promotion.

Keywords

• cochleural alternating acoustic beam therapy|internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy|chronic idiopathic tinnitus|efficacy