Audiology features
Tinnitus treatment device from concept to commercialisation
Innovation in the field of healthcare is fraught with nearly insurmountable challenges. Bringing a novel product to the market requires a new (patentable) idea that can be reduced to practice, manufactured at scale, and can pass all regulatory barriers. In...
Clinical and financial success by providing specialised audiological tinnitus management
Diagnosis and management of a patient with chronic subjective tinnitus is one of the most labour-intensive areas of hearing healthcare. This is one reason some hearing care providers opt to exclude specialised tinnitus care from their practice: it may not...
Platinum-based chemotherapy, tinnitus and hearing loss
Fortunately, the five-year survival rate of adult cancers is increasing. However, we are seeing for the first time the lasting effects of cancer treatments on people. As more people live with the long-term effects of treatment, such as chemotherapy, it is imperative to understand the impact it has on quality of life.
Current perspectives of tinnitus and its management
Whilst there are various therapeutic options for ameliorating the impact of tinnitus, there is no current approved treatment for attempting to eradicate, or even for reducing, the loudness of tinnitus.
On the influence of sex on tinnitus burden and its phenotypes
One important aspect of the new paradigm in tinnitus research is to question basic assumptions. What associations does the sex of a person have with their experience of and reaction to tinnitus? Chris Cederroth raises the question and tells us...
In conversation with Professor Jos Eggermont
Having known Jos for many years, I jumped at the opportunity to catch up with him for our Nov/Dec 2020 series of tinnitus items. My questions reached him during lockdown, and he was enjoying the chance to get on top...
The benefits of mindfulness for tinnitus
Mindfulness-based psychological therapy for tinnitus has, in recent times, been the subject of well-designed clinical research that demonstrated impressive benefits. Dr Liz Marks guides us through this field, and advocates for better access and availability of these techniques. Mindfulness can...
Diagnosing and managing somatic tinnitus
Interactions between auditory and somatosensory pathways can lead to interesting tinnitus experiences which can be very bothersome. Dr Sarah Michiels describes her pioneering work in this area, and the possibilities of physiotherapy based therapy. Background Somatic (also called somatosensory) tinnitus...
The role of prediction and gain in tinnitus
Dr Will Sedley is a Clinical Academic Neurologist who has done groundbreaking work in the field of tinnitus mechanisms. Here, he introduces and explains the concepts of prediction and of gain as they relate to troublesome tinnitus. This article focuses...
Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for adults with tinnitus
Tinnitus remains one of the most prevalent and distressing audiological symptoms. Although specialist tinnitus services are in high demand, geographical and service constraints result in limited access to these services. Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) has been developed to provide...
Hyperacusis-related distress and comorbid psychiatric illness
Research suggests that over 50% of patients presenting with hyperacusis also present with some form of psychiatric disorder. With this in mind, Dr Aazh outlines what tools clinicians can use to screen for psychological disorders and what path to take...
Physiological mechanisms of hyperacusis: an update
Hyperacusis is a heterogeneous and complex clinical entity, and proposals about physiological mechanisms should reflect these issues. Ben Auerbach helps us navigate through present knowledge in this area, and proposes future directions for research. Hyperacusis is a debilitating hearing disorder...
