Cochlear changes in presbycusis with tinnitus

Kyoichi Terao, Sebahattin Cureoglu, Patricia A. Schachern, Norimasa Morita, Shigenobu Nomiya, Armin F. Deroee, Katsumi Doi, Kazunori Mori, Kiyotaka Murata, Michael M. Paparella

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives: The pathophysiology of tinnitus is obscure and its treatment is therefore elusive. Significant progress in this field can only be achieved by determining the mechanisms of tinnitus generation, and thus, histopathologic findings of the cochlea in presbycusis with tinnitus become crucial. We revealed the histopathologic findings of the cochlea in subjects with presbycusis and tinnitus. Material and methods: The subjects were divided into 2 groups, presbycusis with tinnitus (tinnitus) group and presbycusis without tinnitus (control) group, with each group comprising 8 temporal bones from 8 subjects. We quantitatively analyzed the number of spiral ganglion cells, loss of cochlear inner and outer hair cells, and areas of the stria vascularis and spiral ligament. Results: There was a significantly greater loss of outer hair cells in the tinnitus group compared with the control group in the basal and upper middle turns. The stria vascularis was more atrophic in the tinnitus group compared with the control group in the basal turn. Conclusions: Tinnitus is more common in patients with presbycusis who have more severe degeneration of outer hair cells and stria vascularis.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)215-220
Number of pages6
JournalAmerican Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery
Volume32
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2011

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding/support: This study was supported by the International Hearing Foundation, the Starkey Foundation, and the Society for Promotion of International Oto-Rhino-Laryngology.

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