Article

Tinnitus is a common untreatable condition that originates from
central maladaptive plasticity initiated by peripheral injury. Repetitive
transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), direct cochlear low-level laser therapy
(LLLT), and acupuncture were tried for tinnitus treatment, but the results of
these methods were clinically unsatisfactory.
This study aimed to test
the combined effect of the 3 methods targeting both peripheral and central
auditory areas as a new therapeutic strategy for tinnitus.
METHODS: For this, 30
patients were randomized to 3 equal groups receiving 3 different interventions:
inhibitory rTMS to the left auditory cortex, LLLT (which includes a combination
of direct cochlear LLLT and laser acupuncture) to the affected ear(s), and
finally, a combination of rTMS and LLLT. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI)
and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were assessed before, immediately after, and at 2
weeks and 4 weeks after 10 consecutive every-other-day sessions for each
intervention type. RESULTS: We found that combined stimulation was effective in
tinnitus treatment. This effect remained for 4 weeks after the end of the
treatment. However, each of rTMS and LLLT alone had no significant effect.
Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant effect of Time and Time x
Intervention interaction for THI and VAS scores. The post hoc t test for
different time points per intervention revealed a significant difference between
baseline and all postintervention measurements of both THI and VAS for the
combination intervention. CONCLUSION: Combined central rTMS and peripheral LLLT
is more beneficial as a new method for management of tinnitus rather than these
two used separately.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2014.

Langue : ANGLAIS