Tinnitus is a highly prevalent and distressing symptom in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). While international clinical guidelines primarily focus on hearing recovery through pharmacological interventions, effective treatment for tinnitus remains limited. Sound therapy, such as masking and retraining therapy, has emerged as a promising treatment....
This is a protocol paper only; no results are yet available. No actionable change to practice is warranted until the completed review is published.
A rigorous systematic review on sound therapy for tinnitus in sudden sensorineural hearing loss could finally provide high-quality evidence to guide a management area that currently lacks consensus.
- 01Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis — no results are reported yet.
- 02Focuses on sound therapy efficacy for tinnitus in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL).
- 03Published in BMJ Open, indicating peer-reviewed methodology transparency.
- 04Will pool data from multiple studies to improve statistical power.
- 05Findings from the completed review could reshape tinnitus management guidelines for ISSNHL patients.
- PMID
- 42114875
- DOI
- 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-117521.
- Journal
- BMJ Open
- Publication type
- systematic_review_protocol
- Evidence level
- 1a
- Population
- Patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss experiencing tinnitus
- Intervention
- Sound therapy for tinnitus
- Comparator
- Control or alternative tinnitus management (to be determined by included studies)
Primary outcomes
Efficacy of sound therapy on tinnitus severity in ISSNHL patients