HIGH-FREQUENCY AUDIOMETRY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF PATIENTS WITH TINNITUS

This study describes the problem of tinnitus, the perception of sound in the absence of any objective physical sound source. Hearing loss is an important risk factor of tinnitus. Therefore, it is very important to use all available resources in the early stages of diagnosis. But a large number of patients with tinnitus have normal hearing thresholds on pure tone audiometry in the standard frequency range (125 Hz – 8000 Hz). In our study, we used high-frequency audiometry in an extended range from 9,000 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Our research shows that high-frequency audiometry provides additional information in patients with tinnitus who have a normal standard audiogram. Therefore, we recommend the use of highfrequency audiometry in the early stages in the algorithm for diagnosing high-frequency tinnitus for further correct management of patients with tinnitus, which will improve their quality of life.