Record #1 of 12
ID: CN-00209796
AU: Olivier J and Plath P
TI: Combined low power laser therapy and extracts of ginkgo biloba in a blind trial of treatment for tinnitus
SO: Laser Therapy
YR: 1993
VL: 5
NO: 3
PG: 137-139
DE: RCT
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/796/CN-00209796/frame.html
KY: tinnitus; laser; HeNe; IR; laser; biloba extract; ginkgo extract; photochemotherapy
CC: SR-ENT; SR-REHAB


Record #2 of 12
ID: CN-00636860
AU: Gungor A, Dogru S, Cincik H, Erkul E, Poyrazoglu E
TI: Effectiveness of transmeatal low power laser irradiation for chronic tinnitus.
SO: The Journal of laryngology and otology
YR: 2008
VL: 122
NO: 5
PG: 447-51
PM: PUBMED 17625032
PT: Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial
AD: Department of Otolaryngology, Haydarpasa Military Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/860/CN-00636860/frame.html
KY: Chronic Disease; Double-Blind Method; Laser Therapy, Low-Level [methods] [standards]; Loudness Perception [physiology]; Prospective Studies; Questionnaires; Severity of Illness Index; Statistics as Topic; Tinnitus [radiotherapy]; Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged
CC: SR-ENT
AB: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effectiveness of 5 mW laser irradiation in the treatment of chronic tinnitus. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomised, double-blind study.Methods:This investigation included 66 ears in 45 patients with chronic unilateral or bilateral tinnitus. A 5 mW laser with a wavelength of 650 nm, or placebo laser, was applied transmeatally for 15 minutes, once daily for a week. A questionnaire was administered which asked patients to score their symptoms on a five-point scale, before and two weeks after laser irradiation. A decrease of one scale point, regarding the loudness, duration and degree of annoyance of tinnitus, was accepted to represent an improvement. RESULTS: The loudness, duration and degree of annoyance of tinnitus were improved, respectively, in up to 48.8, 57.7 and 55.5 per cent of the patients in the active laser group. No significant improvement was observed in the placebo laser group. CONCLUSION: Transmeatal, low power (5 mW) laser irradiation was found to be useful for the treatment of chronic tinnitus.


Record #3 of 12
ID: CN-00167383
AU: Rogowski M, Mnich S, Gindzieńska E, Lazarczyk B
TI: [Low-power laser in the treatment of tinnitus--a placebo-controlled study]
OT: Laser niskoenergetyczny w leczeniu szumów usznych--badania porównawcze z placebo.
SO: Otolaryngologia polska. The Polish otolaryngology
YR: 1999
VL: 53
NO: 3
PG: 315-20
PM: PUBMED 10481503
PT: Clinical Trial; Controlled Clinical Trial; English Abstract; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
AD: Katedra i Klinika Otolaryngologii AM w Białymstoku.
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/383/CN-00167383/frame.html
KY: Audiometry, Speech; Cochlea [radiation effects]; Laser Therapy; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous; Pain Measurement; Tinnitus [diagnosis] [radiotherapy]; Treatment Outcome; Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged
CC: HS-HANDSRCH; SR-ENT
AB: The present study was performed on 32 patients in order to investigate the effect of low-power laser on their tinnitus. The patients were divided into two groups. One group received laser therapy and the other was given a placebo procedure. The effect was evaluated by the use of visual analogue scales. Within the patient group transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) were measured before, during and after therapy. No significant difference between laser and placebo was found in annoyance or loudness of the tinnitus and in changes of TEOAE amplitude. These results indicate that there is no relationship between the effect of low-power laser and changes in cochlear micromechanics.


Record #4 of 12
ID: CN-00577020
AU: Siedentopf CM, Ischebeck A, Haala IA, Mottaghy FM, Schikora D, Verius M, Koppelstaetter F, Buchberger W, Schlager A, Felber SR, Golaszewski SM
TI: Neural correlates of transmeatal cochlear laser (TCL) stimulation in healthy human subjects.
SO: Neuroscience letters
YR: 2007
VL: 411
NO: 3
PG: 189-93
PM: PUBMED 17123710
PT: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
AD: Department of Radiology II, Division of Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Innsbruck, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria. christian.siedentopf@fmri-easy.de
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/020/CN-00577020/frame.html
KY: Adolescent; Brain [blood supply] [physiology] [radiation effects]; Brain Mapping; Cochlea [innervation] [radiation effects]; Cross-Over Studies; Double-Blind Method; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Lasers; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Oxygen [blood]; Adult; Female; Humans; Male
CC: SR-ENT
AB: Transmeatal cochlear laser (TCL) treatment has recently been proposed as a therapeutic procedure for cochlear dysfunction such as chronic cochlear tinnitus or sensorineural hearing loss. The aim of this study was to investigate whether TLC has any influence on the central nervous system using functional MRI with healthy young adults. The laser stimulation device was placed on the tympanic membrane of both ears. A laser stimulation run and a placebo run were performed in random order. The participants were unable to differentiate between verum and placebo stimulation. In the comparison of verum to placebo runs, we observed significant activations within the left superior frontal gyrus, the right middle and medial frontal gyrus, the right superior parietal lobule, the left superior occipital gyrus, the precuneus and cuneus bilaterally, the right anterior and the left and right middle and posterior cingulate gyrus and the left thalamus. This network of brain areas corresponds well to results from previous PET studies of patients with tinnitus. Though TCL seems to have a clinically measurable effect on the central nervous system the neurophysiological mechanism leading to the observed activated neuronal network remains unknown.


Record #5 of 12
ID: CN-00671651
AU: von Wedel H and Walger M
TI: [Results of a study on the effectivity of a combined low-power laser and gingko therapy on chronic tinnitus]
OT: Ergebnisse einer Studie zur Effektivitat einer kombinierten Low-Power-Laser- und Gingko-Therapie auf den chronischen Tinnitus.
SO: Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol
YR: 1993
VL: Suppl II
PG: 254-5
DE: RCT
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/651/CN-00671651/frame.html
CC: HS-HANDSRCH; SR-ENT


Record #6 of 12
ID: CN-00452981
AU: von Wedel H, Calero L, Walger M, Hoenen S, and Rutwalt D
TI: Soft-laser/Ginkgo therapy in chronic tinnitus. A placebo-controlled study
SO: Adv Otorhinolaryngol
YR: 1995
VL: 49
PG: 105-8
DE: CCT
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/981/CN-00452981/frame.html
CC: SR-ENT


Record #7 of 12
ID: CN-00167103
AU: Mirz F, Zachariae R, Andersen SE, Nielsen AG, Johansen LV, Bjerring P, Pedersen CB
TI: The low-power laser in the treatment of tinnitus.
SO: Clinical otolaryngology and allied sciences
YR: 1999
VL: 24
NO: 4
PG: 346-54
PM: PUBMED 10472473
PT: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial
AD: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Arhus University Hospitals, Denmark. mirz@dadlnet.dk
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/103/CN-00167103/frame.html
KY: Adaptation, Psychological; Attitude to Health; Double-Blind Method; Laser Therapy; Personality Tests; Questionnaires; Tinnitus [physiopathology] [psychology] [radiotherapy]; Treatment Outcome; Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged
CC: HS-HANDSRCH; SR-ENT
AB: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the low-power laser on the treatment of tinnitus. In a randomized, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, either active or placebo low-power laser irradiation was given through the external acoustic meatus of the affected ear towards the cochlea. The active laser applied 50 mW (cw, 830 nm) over a period of 10 min per session. Forty-nine patients with severe, chronic uni- or bilateral tinnitus were studied. The main outcome was measured using psychoacoustical match of tinnitus loudness and pitch, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) ratings of subjective loudness, annoyance and attention involved, scores on the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), the Tinnitus Coping Style Questionnaire (TCSQ), and a number of psychosocial questionnaires. The results showed only moderate (18%) subjective improvement with no statistically significant differences between the effects of the active laser and placebo treatments. Also, there were no statistically significant differences in prepost measurements of tinnitus loudness, VAS scores, THI scores, or TCSQ scores for patients treated with active laser compared with those treated with placebo. We conclude that low-power laser treatment is not indicated in the treatment of tinnitus. Reports of significant benefits of this treatment in previous, mostly uncontrolled or single-blinded studies may be explained by the placebo effect.


Record #8 of 12
ID: CN-00559187
AU: Tauber S, Schorn K, Beyer W, Baumgartner R
TI: Transmeatal cochlear laser (TCL) treatment of cochlear dysfunction: a feasibility study for chronic tinnitus.
SO: Lasers in medical science
YR: 2003
VL: 18
NO: 3
PG: 154-61
PM: PUBMED 14505199
XR: EMBASE 2003400778
PT: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial
AD: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, D-81377 Munich, FRG. drtauber@yahoo.de
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/187/CN-00559187/frame.html
KY: Chronic Disease; Cochlear Diseases [complications] [radiotherapy]; Feasibility Studies; Laser Therapy; Random Allocation; Tinnitus [etiology] [prevention & control]; Humans; Middle Aged
CC: SR-ENT
AB: Low-level-laser-therapy (LLLT) targeting the inner ear has been discussed as a therapeutic procedure for cochlear dysfunction such as chronic cochlear tinnitus or sensorineural hearing loss. Former studies demonstrate dose-dependent biological and physiological effects of LLLT such as enhanced recovery of peripheral nerve injuries, which could be of therapeutic interest in cochlear dysfunction. To date, in patients with chronic tinnitus mastoidal and transmeatal irradiation has been performed without systematic dosimetric assessment. However, light-dosimetric studies on human temporal bones demonstrated that controlled application of laserlight to the human cochlea depends on defined radiator position within the external auditory meatus. This feasibility study first presents a laser application system enabling dose-controlled transmeatal cochlear laser-irradiation (TCL), as well as preliminary clinical results in patients with chronic cochlear tinnitus. The novel laser TCL-system, consisting of four diode lasers (lambda=635 nm-830 nm) and a new specific head-set applicator, was developed on the basis of dosimetric data from a former light-dosimetric study. In a preliminary clinical study, the TCL-system was applied to 35 patients with chronic tinnitus and sensorineural hearing loss. The chronic symptoms persisted after standard therapeutic procedures for at least six months, while retrocochlear or middle-ear pathologies have been ruled out. The patients were randomised and received five single diode laser treatments (lambda=635 nm, 7.8 mW cw, n=17 and lambda=830 nm, 20 mW cw, n=18) with a space irradiation of 4 J/cm2 site of maximal cochlear injury. For evaluation of laser-induced effects complete otolaryngologic examinations with audiometry, tinnitus masking and matching, and a tinnitus-self-assessment were performed before, during and after the laser-irradiation. The first clinical use of the TCL-system has been well tolerated without side-effects and produced no observable damage to the external, middle or inner ear. Changes of tinnitus loudness and tinnitus matching have been described. After a follow-up period of six months tinnitus loudness was attenuated in 13 of 35 irradiated patients, while two of 35 patients reported their tinnitus as totally absent. Hearing threshold levels and middle ear function remained unchanged. Further investigations by large double-blind placebo-controlled studies are mandatory for clinical evaluation of the presented TCL-system and its therapeutic effectiveness in acute and chronic cochlear dysfunction.


Record #9 of 12
ID: CN-00680145
AU: Tauber S, De Nigris A, Beyer W, Schorn K
TI: Transmeatal cochlear laser-treatment in chronic tinnitus: results of a double blind study.
SO: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
YR: 2004
VL: 261
NO: 3
PG: 153
DE: RCT
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/145/CN-00680145/frame.html
CC: HS-HANDSRCH


Record #10 of 12
ID: CN-00652461
AU: Teggi R, Bellini C, Piccioni L O, Palonta F, and Bussi M
TI: Transmeatal low-level laser therapy for chronic tinnitus with cochlear dysfunction
SO: Audiology & Neurootology
YR: 2008
VL: 14
NO: 2
PG: 115-120
DE: RCT
UF: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18843180?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/461/CN-00652461/frame.html
CC: SR-ENT


Record #11 of 12
ID: CN-00379822
AU: Nakashima T, Ueda H, Misawa H, Suzuki T, Tominaga M, Ito A, Numata S, Kasai S, Asahi K, Vernon JA, Meikle MB
TI: Transmeatal low-power laser irradiation for tinnitus.
SO: Otology & neurotology : official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology
YR: 2002
VL: 23
NO: 3
PG: 296-300
PM: PUBMED 11981384
PT: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
AD: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/822/CN-00379822/frame.html
KY: Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; Double-Blind Method; Hearing; Laser Therapy; Loudness Perception; Tinnitus [physiopathology] [radiotherapy]; Treatment Failure; Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged
CC: SR-ENT
AB: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effectiveness of 60-mW laser irradiation in the treatment of tinnitus. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized double-blind study. METHODS: This investigation included 68 ears in 45 patients with disabling unilateral or bilateral tinnitus. The active or placebo laser treatment was administered transmeatally once a week for 6 minutes. Laser irradiation was performed four times during a 4-week period. A questionnaire was administered to evaluate the loudness, duration, quality, and annoyance of tinnitus before and after irradiation. The loudness and pitch match for tinnitus were obtained, and distortion product otoacoustic emissions were also examined. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed between the active and placebo laser groups with regard to outcome of loudness, duration, quality, and annoyance of tinnitus. In one patient who received active laser treatment, acute hearing deterioration occurred after the third irradiation. CONCLUSION: Transmeatal low-power laser irradiation with 60 mW is not effective for the treatment of tinnitus.


Record #12 of 12
ID: CN-00332164
AU: Mirz F, Zachariae B, Andersen SE, Nielsen AG, Johansen LV, Bjerring P, Pedersen CB
TI: [Treatment of tinnitus with low-intensity laser]
OT: Behandling af tinnitus med lavenergi-laser.
SO: Ugeskrift for laeger
YR: 2000
VL: 162
NO: 25
PG: 3607-10
PM: PUBMED 11016286
PT: Clinical Trial; English Abstract; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial
AD: Arhus Universitetshospital, Arhus Kommunehospital, řre-naese-halsafdeling H. mirz@dadlnet.dk
US: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clcentral/articles/164/CN-00332164/frame.html
KY: Double-Blind Method; Laser Therapy; Placebo Effect; Prospective Studies; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychoacoustics; Questionnaires; Social Support; Tinnitus [diagnosis] [psychology] [radiotherapy]; Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged
CC: SR-ENT
AB: This study evaluated the effect of low-power laser in the treatment of tinnitus in a randomized, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The active laser applied 50 mW (cw, 830 nm) over a period of 10 minutes per session. Forty-nine patients were included. The main outcome was measured using psychoacoustical match of tinnitus loudness, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) ratings of subjective loudness, annoyance and attention involved, scores on tinnitus-specific questionnaires, and a number of psychosocial questionnaires. Only few subjects (18%) experienced subjective improvement. There were no statistically significant differences between the effects of the active laser and placebo treatments. CONCLUSION: Low-power laser treatment is not indicated in the treatment of tinnitus. Reports of significant benefits of this treatment in previous studies may be explained by the placebo effect.