Tinnitus: clinical measurement

Abstract

Clinical measurement of tinnitus is necessary for (1) establishing adequate diagnostic information, (2) selection of appropriate treatment, and (3) quantitative documentation of treatment effects. This article describes standardized methods for measuring tinnitus pitch, loudness, maskability, and residual inhibition. These methods have been used in the Tinnitus Clinic, Oregon Health & Science University, since the 1970s. Summary data for all four measures, obtained from over 1600 Tinnitus Clinic patients, are presented here in tabular form to demonstrate the nature and range of variability within the tinnitus patient population.