Manipulation of Hearing Aid Gain and Tinnitus Relief: A Paired Comparison Study

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the best amplification strategy for tinnitus relief without compromising speech perception. The objectives were to compare amplification strategies on tinnitus relief using paired comparison method and to measure SNR 50 from three amplification strategies to document speech perception ability. A repeated measure research design was utilized. Twelve participants in the age range of 30-60 years who had mild to moderately severe sloping sensorineural hearing loss with continuous tonal tinnitus were considered. The participants were grouped into mild and severe based on score obtained in Tinnitus Handicap inventory (THI). In each participant, minimum masking level (MML) was used to assess tinnitus pitch and loudness. MML which is the level of noise required to mask tinnitus as a function of frequencies were obtained. A paired comparisons method was carried out to determine the program in which maximum preference score obtained on tinnitus relief by a test hearing aid which was programmed with three programs such as prescriptive, preferred and adjusted gain at tinnitus pitch. SNR 50 was carried out at each of the programs. Each group of participants' significantly preferred hearing aid gain set at tinnitus pitch on tinnitus relief. There was no significant difference between the SNR 50 scores in the three gain settings. An additional gain set at tinnitus pitch after alleviating hearing loss by prescriptive method was found to be the best strategy for effective masking of tinnitus and that led to tinnitus relief without compromising speech perception.