Clinical study evaluating tinnitussupression by electrostimulation for the development of a middle ear implant as part of the INTAKT-composite project

Background The idea of an electrostimulation for the treatment of tinnitus was described a long time ago, however the implementation has failed in the development of clinically applicable systems.

Funded by the BMBF is the goal of the project INTAKT the development, characterization and preclinical evaluation of a new generation of active, networked implants.

Methods 48 patients were included in this interventional prospective clinical study so far. During the study the patients were stimulated with an electrode in the ear canal on three consecutive dates. The electrical conducted frequencies we used were 100 hz und 1000 hz with a 10 minute stimulation period. Before and after the stimulation, a visual analog scale was used to measure the tinnitusvolume and the emotional distress subjectively.

Results 17 study participants reported a suppression of tinnitus, lasting between a few minutes and several hours. In 29 patients no change in tinnitus volume was seen. At 4 there was a short increase in tinnitus.

Summary Our ongoing study supports the feasibility of using electrical stimulation to suppress tinnitus. The results obtained form the basis for further investigations and indicated that individual stimulation is possible on a patient-specific basis.

BMBF

Poster-PDF A-1945.PDF

Publication History

Article published online:
10 June 2020