Cochlear implant and tinnitus: a review
<p>Tinnitus is the perception of a sound without any external auditory input and patient experiences as a ringing or buzzing sound in the ear or head. Tinnitus is a common and troublesome clinical entity that has existed for centuries. However, the exact etiology for tinnitus is not known. Electrical suppression of the tinnitus by cochlear implant is a secondary benefit to many cochlear implant recipients. Cochlear implants are often helpful to improve speech perception for those suffered with severe to profound hearing loss where hearing aids are no longer beneficial. There is high prevalence of tinnitus among patients with profound hearing loss which often reduced after cochlear implant. Although only few cochlear implant recipients show complete elimination of tinnitus after implantation and many uses result in improvement or stabilization. Cochlear implant causes appearance of homolateral tinnitus in small percentage of the cases. However, none of the cases of tinnitus which appear after cochlear implantation are thought to be severe to the patient. All literatures of cochlear implant and tinnitus were identified via Scopus, Google scholar, Medline and PubMed and analysed individually. Articles of cochlear implant and tinnitus included according to specified eligibility criteria. The review article analysed case series, case reports and original research on cochlear implant and tinnitus published in the English language. The aim of this review article is to provide a comprehensive review of the cochlear implant and its role in tinnitus.</p>