Abstrakt
We aimed to verify the therapeutic effect of soft laser in a combination with Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 in patients suffering from chronic tinnitus.Background data: Tinnitus is described as an illusory sound perceived by the patient when there is no corresponding source of this sound outside. Tinnitus may signify a disturbance of peripheral or central part of hearing system.
Beside the hearing system, there might be an utterly different etiology of tinnitus. Cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, mental, and other disorders can contribute to tinnitus formation as well.
Due to these multiple etiologic factors the treatment is very difficult.Studies analyzing biological effects of EGb 761 and laser suggest their use in tinnitus treatment. However, clinical study results are very variable, which makes their general use more controversial.Methods: We conducted a simple prospective study including 420 patients suffering from chronic tinnitus (duration 3 months to 40 years; 7.7 years mean value; SD 7.8).
A soft laser BTL-10 type was used with an 830 nm / 200 mV probe, at an energy density of 50 J/cm2, applied with transmastoidal and transmeatal approach in a continuous and pulse beam, after 3 weeks of oral use of EGb 761. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by tinnitus intensity and frequency determination (tinnitus masking) and by the subjective rating on visual analogue scale (VAS) with 0 - 10 points.Results: Among the 420 patients, 238 (56, 7%) achieved improvement in the tinnitus masking, the average improvement in terms of intensity was found to be 30dB.
Hundred and ninety-six patients (46, 7%) recorded improvement on VAS. The objective and subjective evaluation coincided in 79% of cases.Conclusion: Compared to the outcomes of other studies, our findings reveal a relatively higher percentage of positive changes regarding the tinnitus status and greater congruence of objective (audiometric) and subjective (VAS) results.