Tinnitus and normal hearing: a study on the transient otoacoustic emissions suppression

The workings of the auditory pathway of patients with tinnitus and normal hearing can be associated with an auditory efferent pathway dysfunction at the level of the superior olivary complex. Otoacoustic emission suppression with contralateral noise can represent an alternative to its evaluation. AIM: to investigate Transient Otoacoustic Emission suppression in normal hearing adults with and without tinnitus and to compare the two groups. Study design: cross-sectional contemporary cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: we assessed 40 female individuals between 18 and 59 years of age, 20 without tinnitus and 20 with it. We studied the TOAE suppression with a contralateral white noise at 50 dBSPL. RESULTS: TOAE amplitude was lower in the group with tinnitus. There was no difference between the groups with and without tinnitus in terms of TOAE suppression, except in the frequency of 1000 Hz in the left ear in the tinnitus group. CONCLUSION: the afferent system assessment may contribute to the topographic diagnosis of tinnitus; however, we still need further studies to establish the proper methodology and normative values to carry out these tests.