Refined sound therapy in combination with cognitive behavioural therapy
to treat tinnitus: A randomised controlled trial
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of refined acoustic therapy in
combination with cognitive therapy for tinnitus compared to common
treatment modality. Study Design: A single-center, randomized, and
controlled trial. Methods: Patients were randomised into either the
treatment group (refined sound therapy combined with cognitive therapy)
or the control group (post-auricular injections of lidocaine and
methylprednisolone sodium succinate). Information pre- and
post-treatment was collected using the Self-Rating Depression Scale
(SDS), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), visual analogue score
(VAS), Tinnitus loudness, and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score.
Results: The THI (33.54 versus 19.23), SDS (41.79 versus 35.54) and
HAM-A (9.46 versus 6.19) scores of the treatment group improved
significantly (p<0.05). In the control group, the THI scores
improved significantly (31.7 versus 26.24, p<0.05), but the
SDS (p=0.338) and HAM-A (p=0.574) scores did not. Tinnitus loudness (the
treatment group 46.67 versus 41.19; the control group 43.12 versus
40.18) and VAS scores (the treatment group 5.67 versus 4.17; the control
group 5.58 versus 4.73) were significantly improved in the two groups
(p<0.05). There was significant difference in the reduction of
THI (14.31 versus 5.45), SDS (6.25 versus 1.02), HAM-A (3.27 versus
0.45) and VAS (1.50 versus 0.85) scores between the two groups
(p<0.05), and the treatment group showed a greater reduction.
There was no significant difference in the reduction of tinnitus
loudness (p=0.057). Conclusion: Refined sound therapy combined with
cognitive therapy is more effective at treating tinnitus and improving
psychological symptoms. Post-auricular injections of lidocaine and
methylprednisolone sodium succinate has no effect at improving
psychological symptoms.