The Hearing Review

MedRx has launched a new tinnitus assessment test in the MedRx Studio software. The test is designed to allow a clinician the ability to easily and accurately match a patient’s tinnitus. Traditional tinnitus assessments have used audiometric frequencies and signals presented to a patient in order to match the tinnitus sounds. However, this is very limited in sounds that can be offered to the patient. MedRx is addressing this need by expanding the sound the clinicians are capable of presenting. The MedRx tinnitus test goes beyond the standard audiogram, allowing a clinician to fully shape a sound to mimic what the patient hears. Clinicians have precise control over frequency and level of a stimulus by allowing 1 Hz and 1 dB change. Additionally, the clinician can change the sound by manipulating the shape through the bandwidth and slopes of the signals. This allows for clinicians to make all kinds of sounds dynamically for the patient that will match the sounds that they hear. The recommended procedure for tinnitus matching in this new test is a three-part procedure. Part 1 Pitch and Loudness Matching – the MedRx tinnitus test allows for 1 Hz frequency resolution to precisely match the pitch of the patient’s tinnitus. The tinnitus test allows for fixing a set sensation level above the audiometric thresholds to be played for the patient. This allows for ease in changing frequency while maintaining a constant relative level for the patient. This speeds up the process of pitch matching for the clinician. Once the pitch is matched, the clinician will then adjust the level until the patient expresses that the generated sound and their tinnitus are the same. It is best to run pitch and loudness matching with a long duration pulse for easier comparison. A screenshot showing the MedRx tinnitus test. Photo: MedRx Part 2 Threshold Matching – After the pitch and loudness of the tinnitus are determined, it is recommended to then determine the threshold of the specific tinnitus signal. Many times, the tinnitus is a complex signal and not correlated one-to-one with an audiometric point. Therefore, it is important to determine the threshold of the specific signal being presented. The difference between the threshold and the matching tinnitus signal will give the relative level of the tinnitus that the patient experiences. Part 3 Minimum Masking Level – Once the patient’s tinnitus is fully classified, the clinician can move to masking. The goal of minimum masking levels is to determine if the patient’s tinnitus is able to be partially or completely masked or is unable to be masked with outside stimulus. This task is completed with the least amount of masking possible. In this, the clinician will present a constant stimulus to determine if masking is possible. The tinnitus test will allow you to play narrowband noise, broadband noise, or a custom noise centered around the matched tinnitus signal. This opens up possibilities in performing this function. The results of this final portion of the assessment will help determine if the patient is a good candidate for hearing aid sound therapies. The MedRx tinnitus test is designed to make it easier for a clinic to set up a tinnitus testing protocol while better matching a patient’s tinnitus. Once determined the clinician can monitor the patient’s tinnitus through time and play the sounds in free field to demonstrate the tinnitus to a significant other. It is important that when a patient visits for tinnitus that it is addressed directly with testing. The MedRx Studio software paired with a MedRx audiometer can now help effectively complete this task in your clinics. If you would like a demo or have questions about the product, call MedRx at 888-392-1234 or email medrx@medrx-diagnostics.com. You can also read more about the MedRx tinnitus testing and see videos of test in action. Featured image: A new MedRx tinnitus test is now available through MedRx Studio. Photo: MedRX

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