Correlations Between Tinnitus Handicap Index and Extended High-Frequency Hearing: A Pilot Study

Sunday, October 1, 2023

5:42 PM - 5:48 PM East Coast USA Time

Location: 104BC

Presenting Author(s)

Sruti Tekumalla, BA

Medical Student
Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Co-Author(s)

Natalie M. Perlov, BS

Medical student
Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Julia B. Croce, AuD

Director of Audiology
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA, United States
ZU

Zachary D. Urdang, MD, PhD

Resident
Monument Health
Flagstaff, AZ, United States
TW

Thomas O. Willcox, Jr., MD

Associate Professor, Director Balance & Hearing Center
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA, United States
Rebecca C. Chiffer, MD

Assistant Professor
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA, United States

Senior Author(s)

Dennis C. Fitzgerald, MD

Assistant Professor Otolaryngology H&N Surgery
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA, United States

Disclosure(s):

Sruti Tekumalla, BA: No relevant relationships to disclose.

Natalie M. Perlov, BS: No relevant relationships to disclose.

Zachary D. Urdang, MD, PhD: No relevant relationships to disclose.

Introduction: Tinnitus is a multifactorial phenomenon that decreases the quality of life of those affected by it. The tinnitus-handicap inventory (THI) is a clinically validated instrument to gauge tinnitus severity and extended-high-frequency audiometry is standard of care for patients experiencing tinnitus with normal hearing. We hypothesized that tinnitus severity correlates with extended-high-frequency (EHF) audiogram and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) thresholds for patients with normal hearing.

Methods: This was a single-institution pilot study including patients with tinnitus and normal audiometric thresholds (250-8000 Hz). Patients with underlying otologic disease, trauma, radiotherapy, or ototoxicity were excluded. THI, audiogram, and DPOAE results were collected. THI scores were categorized by severity groups. Spearman rank correlation (rho, [95% confidence interval], p) was calculated between THI and audiometric/DPOAE thresholds at each frequency and the highest-threshold frequency.

Results: THI and audiometric data were collected for 21 patients and categorized into slight (n=3), mild (n=10), moderate (n=5), and severe (n=3) tinnitus. Age did not significantly differ among severity groups; the mean (SD) age of all subjects was 40.7 (11.1). THI score correlated moderately with 8kHz DPOAE (0.46, [-0.01, 0.76], 0.02); however, THI correlated weakly with a patient’s worst EHF threshold (0.27, [-0.19, 0.64], 0.11). THI did not correlate with hearing thresholds at other frequencies.

Conclusions: In this pilot study, higher frequency DPOAE moderately correlates with THI, however, EHF audiogram thresholds do not. Enrollment is ongoing to increase the power of the study. These trending findings suggest that THI may be correlated with EHF hearing thresholds in patients with normal hearing and can be used as a counseling tool to help tinnitus patients manage symptoms, expectations, and overall treatment outcomes.