The International Tinnitus Journal

The International Tinnitus Journal

Official Journal of the Neurootological and Equilibriometric Society
Official Journal of the Brazil Federal District Otorhinolaryngologist Society

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ISSN: 0946-5448

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Abstract

Tinnitology, Tinnitogenesis, Nuclear Medicine and Tinnitus Patients

Author(s): Abraham Shulman

Since the 19708, clinical interest in otolaryngology and audiology for both diagnosis and treatment of the symptom of tinnitus has witnessed the evolution of a new discipline: tinnitology. Tinnitology is an integrated discipline of basic sciences, neuroscience, and clinical medicine for the understanding of aberrant auditory phenomena unrelated to an external source of sound. To patients with subjective idiopathic tinnitus, nuclear medicine techniques of positron emission tomography and single-photon emission computed tomography provide correlation of structure and function, which improves the accuracy of the tinnitus diagnosis. Additionally, they provide a monitoring system to establish the efficacy of modalities of therapy attempting to provide tinnitus relief. Further, they provide information of neuroreceptors and neurochemistry in brain underlying or accompanying basic mechanisms for production of specific clinical types and subtypes of tinnitus. This study reports the application of nuclear medicine techniques for a new clinical neuropharmacology protocol for tinnitus treatment highlighted by intratympanic drug therapy in predominantly cochlear-type tinnitus. We further report a neuroprotective drug therapy to control tinnitogenesis, an auditory epileptiform phenomenon. Additionally, we report the hypothesis of a benzodiazepine deficiency syndrome.

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