Multi-Site Randomized Clinical Study of Tinnitus Treatment Methods

Sound therapy with Tinnitus Masking is intended to produce immediate relief from the discomfort caused by tinnitus (Vernon, 1977; 1987; Vernon, 1988). If maskers or combination units are used, the masking sound can be set at any level the patient chooses to attain maximum relief. Relief using masking noise can be accomplished using the external sound of the masker, which is generally a more acceptable sound than the tinnitus.

The TRT procedure adheres as closely as possible to the methodology described by Dr. Pawel Jastreboff. For TRT, sound therapy is used to facilitate long-term habituation to tinnitus (Jastreboff, 1999b).

TED represents tinnitus treatment that would typically be provided by audiologists using hearing aids and counseling (although for this study the counseling has been structured and expanded to be equivalent in length to the other two groups).