Otolaryngology: Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

Tinnitus is a common feature of unilateral hearing impairment. We have implemented a clinical outcome study on a group of 21 individuals with single-sided sensory hearing loss who presented to our otology clinic in the course of a year. Our study is an investigation of the clinical features of tinnitus in this group and the impact of hearing aid use on self-perceived tinnitus handicap by way of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). We show that use of a hearing aid in our group of unilaterally impaired individuals significantly reduced overall tinnitus severity and THI total scores. Improvement was seen for all sub-scale aspects of the THI; however, hearing aid use apparently had no meaningful impact on sleep disturbance. This study supports use of a hearing aid to reduce tinnitus handicap in unilaterally impaired individuals who nonetheless have normal hearing in the other ear.

Biography

C. Alexander Ashford received his Bachelors of Science in Microbiology from the University of Georgia in 2005. He subsequently matriculated to the Medical College of Georgia, where he received his MD degree in 2009. Following this, a surgical internship was completed at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa. He is currently at 4 th year Otolaryngology resident at UMC with anticipated graduation in June 2014. His future interests involve Otology/ Neurotology in an academic setting.