Wunderlich Robert, Stein Alwina, Engell Alva, Lau Pia, Waasem Lea, Shaykevich Alex, Rudack Claudia, Pantev Christo
Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany.
University of Western Australia, Crawley Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
J Am Acad Audiol. 2015 Feb;26(2):205-12. doi: 10.3766/jaaa.26.2.9.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound unrelated to any external source. Diagnostic approaches to assess tinnitus characteristics such as tinnitus pitch are crucial for new attempts of tinnitus therapy.
The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate reliable tinnitus pitch-matching procedures. Existing procedures usually require audiometric equipment and are time consuming. However, some patients with tinnitus find it hard to match their tinnitus in one single session. Therefore, we developed an iPod-based application for self-administered tinnitus pitch matching and compared it with a standardized audiometric procedure.
A total of 17 patients with chronic tonal tinnitus participated in two sessions including both pitch-matching procedures.
In the conventional audiometric test, the investigator adjusted the frequency and loudness of pure tones led by the responses of the patient. For the iPod-based procedure, we used a recursive two-interval forced-choice test that required no interaction with an investigator. Both procedures included loudness matching and testing for octave confusion.
The iPod-based procedure resulted in lower pitch matches as compared with the conventional audiometry. Psychometric qualities such as test-retest reliability of both methods were comparable. Participants rated the iPod-based procedure as easier to perform and more comfortable to use.
In conclusion, we find that the use of self-administered tinnitus pitch-matching procedures on a mobile device is feasible and easier in practice without any loss of reliability and validity. A major advantage is the possibility of repeated measurements without expensive equipment and experienced staff. Repeated measurements of tinnitus pitch can provide more information about the stability of the tinnitus perception and may improve the ability of participants to match their tinnitus.
耳鸣是一种与任何外部声源无关的声音感知。评估耳鸣特征（如耳鸣音调）的诊断方法对于耳鸣治疗的新尝试至关重要。
本研究的目的是开发并评估可靠的耳鸣音调匹配程序。现有的程序通常需要听力测定设备且耗时。然而，一些耳鸣患者发现很难在一次会话中匹配他们的耳鸣。因此，我们开发了一种基于iPod的自我管理耳鸣音调匹配应用程序，并将其与标准化的听力测定程序进行比较。
共有17名慢性音调性耳鸣患者参加了包括两种音调匹配程序的两次会话。
在传统的听力测试中，研究者根据患者的反应调整纯音的频率和响度。对于基于iPod的程序，我们使用了一种递归双间隔强迫选择测试，该测试无需与研究者互动。两种程序都包括响度匹配和八度混淆测试。
与传统听力测定相比，基于iPod的程序导致较低的音调匹配。两种方法的重测信度等心理测量质量相当。参与者认为基于iPod的程序更易于执行且使用更舒适。
总之，我们发现使用移动设备进行自我管理的耳鸣音调匹配程序在实践中是可行且更容易的，而不会损失任何可靠性和有效性。一个主要优点是无需昂贵设备和经验丰富的工作人员即可进行重复测量。耳鸣音调的重复测量可以提供更多关于耳鸣感知稳定性的信息，并可能提高参与者匹配其耳鸣的能力。
