Integrative Treatment for Tinnitus Combining Repeated Facial and Auriculotemporal Nerve Blocks With Stimulation of Auditory and Non-auditory Nerves

Abstract

Background Tinnitus is a prevalent condition (>10% of the population) affecting the quality of life of 0.5–3% of the population. Although several treatments have been proposed, most of these lack evidence of efficacy in the treatment of chronic tinnitus. Thus, we aimed to evaluate an integrative treatment strategy for subacute and chronic tinnitus. Methods This retrospective chart review study included 55 patients with tinnitus (subacute, n = 15; chronic, n = 40) who underwent repeated nerve blocks after stimulation of the trigeminal (V) and facial (VII) nerves to modulate the auditory and non-auditory nervous systems via the vestibulocochlear (VIII) cranial nerve pathways. We used a simplified smiley tinnitus-visual analog scale (T-VAS) with scores ranging from 0 to 10 combining the effect of tinnitus loudness, distress, and quality of life as the outcome measure to evaluate the efficacy of our treatment method. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (version 18.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States), one-way and two-way analysis of variance. Results In more than 87.5% of patients (14/15 subacute, 35/40 chronic), tinnitus disappeared or had significantly reduced by the end of the treatment. The mean T-VAS score reduced significantly from 7.13 to 0.60 in the subacute group and from 7.73 to 1.53 in the chronic group by the end of treatment ( p < 0.05). The benefits were maintained after treatment cessation and at the 1-year follow-up. The average number of treatment procedures was 9.8 ± 3.589 (range, 5–15) in the subacute group and 9.775 ± 3.717 (range, 5–18) in the chronic group. Conclusion Our results show that the proposed integrative approach is highly effective in treating subacute and chronic tinnitus and represents a promising therapeutic approach.