정상청력인 이명 환자에서의 청성뇌간반응 검사

Background: The aim of our study is to evaluate the auditory nerve and auditory brainstem function of the normal hearing individuals with tinnitus and without tinnitus using auditory brainstem response (ABR). Methods: Twenty three individuals with tinnitus (study group) and 23 without tinnitus (control group) were participated in the study. The ABR parameters [latency of waves l, lll, V; interpeak intervals l-lll, lll-V, l-V; amplitude of wave l, lll, V; amplitude ratio between wave V and I (V/I), wave III and I (III/I)] were compared between two groups. Results: The ABR results from the normal-hearing individuals with and without tinnitus were within normal limits. However, the study group showed the tendency of prolongation in latencies of waves l, lll, V; interpeak interval of l-lll, lll-V, l-V, even though it was not statistically significant. In addition, the amplitude of wave V and V/I amplitude ratio in the study group were significantly larger than those in the control group. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the origin of tinnitus in normal hearing can be auditory brainstem, even though more investigations are needed. Therefore, ABR might contribute to the workup of normal hearing patients with tinnitus. (J Clinical Otolaryngol 2015;26:202–207)