Tinnitus Management & Treatment Flashcards

Which tinnitus management approach uses low-level broadband noise to reduce the contrast between tinnitus and background sound?

Answer: Sound therapy with partial masking

Sound therapy using partial masking introduces low-level broadband noise to reduce the perceptual contrast between tinnitus and silence without fully covering the tinnitus.

A patient reports that their tinnitus pitch matches approximately 4000 Hz during pitch matching. This finding most commonly correlates with which condition?

Answer: Noise-induced or high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss

Tinnitus pitch near 4000 Hz is classically associated with high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss, often from noise exposure, where the cochlear dead region generates phantom sound.

In Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), what is the primary goal of the directive counseling component?

Answer: Reclassify tinnitus as a neutral stimulus by retraining the limbic and autonomic systems

TRT directive counseling aims to reclassify tinnitus from a threat to a neutral signal by educating the patient and retraining limbic/autonomic reactions.

Which questionnaire is most widely used to assess tinnitus-related handicap in clinical practice?

Answer: Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI)

The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) is the most widely validated and used tool for measuring the functional, emotional, and catastrophic impact of tinnitus.

A hearing aid dispenser recommends a combination device for a tinnitus patient who also has a hearing loss. What does a combination device provide?

Answer: Both amplification and a built-in sound generator in a single unit

A combination device integrates a traditional hearing aid with a sound generator, providing both amplification and tinnitus sound therapy in one unit.

What term describes tinnitus that can be heard by both the patient and an examiner using a stethoscope or microphone?

Answer: Objective tinnitus

Objective tinnitus is a rare form where the sound has an actual acoustic source and can be detected externally by the clinician.

Which medication class is sometimes implicated as a reversible cause of tinnitus when used at high doses?

Answer: Salicylates (aspirin)

High-dose salicylates such as aspirin are a well-known reversible ototoxic cause of tinnitus that typically resolves upon dose reduction or discontinuation.