Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in tinnitus patients
Meeus, O.M.; De Ridder, D.; Van de Heyning, P.H.
B-Ent 5(2): 89-100
2009
ISSN/ISBN: 1781-782X PMID: 19670596 Document Number: 631893
The objective of this paper is to present Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), a new and highly promising technique in tinnitus modulation. We conducted a Pubmed and Web of Science search using the words 'Tinnitus', 'TMS' and 'Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation'. We report on the most relevant studies relating to the effects and stimulation parameters of TMS in tinnitus patients. It has already proved possible to reduce tinnitus using TMS and rTMS in selected patient populations with specific stimulation parameters. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors were shown to determine the amount of tinnitus reduction. Though many studies point out that tinnitus reduction can be obtained using TMS, a lot of questions still remain concerning stimulation parameters and optimal patient selection.