Cochlear implantation for single-sided deafness and tinnitus suppression

Objective To quantify the potential effectiveness of cochlear implantation for tinnitus suppression in patients with single-sided deafness using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. Methods The study included 12 patients with unilateral tinnitus who were undergoing cochlear implantation for single-sided deafness. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory was administered at the patient's cochlear implant candidacy evaluation appointment prior to implantation and every cochlear implant follow-up appointment, except activation, following implantation. Patient demographics and speech recognition scores were also retrospectively recorded using the electronic medical record. Results A significant reduction was found when comparing Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score preoperatively (61.2 ± 27.5) to the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score after three months of cochlear implant use (24.6 ± 28.2, p = 0.004) and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score beyond 6 months of CI use (13.3 ± 18.9, p = 0.008). Further, 45% of patients reported total tinnitus suppression. Mean CNC word recognition score improved from 2.9% (SD 9.4) pre-operatively to 40.8% (SD 31.7) by 6 months post-activation, which was significantly improved from pre-operative scores (p = 0.008). Conclusion The present data is in agreement with previously published studies that have shown an improvement in tinnitus following cochlear implantation for the large majority of patients with single-sided deafness.