Results of TRT after eighteen months: our experience

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of TRT in patients suffering from tinnitus. The tinnitus disorder affects about 10-15% of the population and, in one person out of a hundred, it is a disabling disorder. TRT treatment is based on Jastreboff's neurophysiological model. TRT consists of two parts: counselling, and sound therapy by means of dedicated hearing aids and sound generators. It proved to be useful to reduce the symptoms related to tinnitus. Jastreboff's structured interviews were proposed to a sample of 51 patients with tinnitus belonging to the I-II-III-IV classes according to Jastreboff. These patients were treated for 18 months. Sixty-eight percent of patients reported a reduction in the symptoms related to tinnitus, such as sleep disturbance, problems in concentration, and inability to relax. A percentage (64.7%) of patients thought that their quality of life was improved. Patients who had suffered from tinnitus for less than one year achieved significantly better results than patients who had suffered for a longer period of time. TRT is an effective tool in the treatment of tinnitus.