Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for Tinnitus: A Retrospective Study

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for Tinnitus: A Retrospective Study Via ear nose throat Ear Nose Throat J. 2021 Jun 15:1455613211016896. doi: 10.1177/01455613211016896. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: Current studies still find insufficient evidence to support the routine use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in tinnitus. This study aimed to assess response of tinnitus to treatment with rTMS and identify factors influencing the overall response. METHODS: Between January 2016 and May 2017, 199 tinnitus patients were identifi ed from a retrospective review of the electronic patient record at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital. All patients received rTMS treatment. Their clinicodemographic profile and outcomes, including the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) and visual analog scale (VAS) scores, were extracted for analysis. RESULTS: Regarding the THI results, 62.3% of all patients responded to rTMS. The analysis of the VAS score revealed an overall response rate of 66.3%. Both percentages were close to the patient's subjective assessment result, of 63.8%. Patients with tinnitus of less than 1-week duration had the highest response rate to rTMS in terms of either THI/VAS scores or the patient's subjective assessment of symptoms. Tinnitus duration was recognized as a factor influencing the overall response to the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment is effective for patients with tinnitus, but its efficacy is affected by tinnitus duration. Tinnitus patien ts are advised to attend for rTMS as soon as possible since therapy was more effective in those with a shorter duration of disease of less than 1 week. PMID:34128408 | DOI:10.1177/01455613211016896 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.