Initial Evaluation
Multidisciplinary approach of the treatment
The first step is a complete examination by an experienced ear specialist, who will perform tests with the state-of-the-art equipment to determine what takes place in the ear and the brain and what produces the sound of the tinnitus. The Montreal Tinnitus Clinic has complete resources and access to the expertise of specialists such as audiologists, psychologists and neuroscientists.
The Montreal Tinnitus Clinic provides a complete range of diagnostic services and treatments for adult patients suffering from tinnitus. The Clinic provides a strongly polyvalent resource for patients who experience significant problems with tinnitus and have unsuccessfully tried other forms of treatment.
Verify with your family doctor or the doctor who refers you, then confirm that all the applicable reports, lab reports, X-rays, pathology slides and your most recent diagnostic tests were sent, or that you will bring them with you at your first meeting. Remember to bring a list of all the past and current medications. If it is for a problem related with work or with an accident, please bring a confirmation of your employer or your insurances, indicating their acceptance of financial responsibility for the services that will be provided.
The multidisciplinary evaluation is crucial for the treatment. It allows to understand the characteristics of every tinnitus. The communication and the explanation of these results to the patient constitute the first step of the treatment. A consensus for the evaluation of patients was retained by all the participants to the 1st international congress on Tinnitus organized by Tinnitus Research Initiative in REGENSBURG in Germany in July 27- 29, 2006. (Langguth and al. Consensus for Tinnitus Research 2/8). We apply this protocol. It is therefore necessary to plan 3 to 4 hours.
|
|
Physical examination
Otologic examination by a specialist;
Examination of the neck (range of motion, tenderness, muscle tension);
Audiologic Assessment:
Audiometry (pure tone threshold; up to 8 kHz)
Immitance Audiometry High Frequency Audiometry (at least up to 16 kHz)
Otoacoustic Emissions
Loudness Discomfort Level
Psychoacoustic Measures of Tinnitus
Loudness match
Pitch match
Minimum Masking Level
Residual Inhibition
Questionnaires
Tinnitus evaluation questionnaires: Tinnitus severity (STSS), Handicap (THQ), Reaction (TRQ)
Evaluation of tinnitus severity with the tinnitus handicap questionnaire (THI),
which is the most widely used internationally.
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
State-Trait-Anxiety-Inventory (STAI)
Evaluation of the quality of life (WHODAS II)
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Evaluation of results
A complete written report is given to the patient 10 days later. Its content is explained in detail. A personalized treatment plan is proposed.
|
