Tinnitus Aurium in Otosclerosis

TINNITUS aurium when it occurs in otosclerosis has unique features. It is constantly present in the active stage of the disease, and it disappears when the air conduction threshold reaches the 60-90 decibel loss level. In the presence of intact cochlear function, indicated by good bone conduction, the dependence of the head noises on a certain level of air conduction seems to suggest an extraneous origin of the tinnitus. The disease is almost always bilateral, but one side is involved to a greater degree than the other, and frequently the tinnitus is referred to one ear only. On the assumption that a "trigger sound" from the outside initiates the tinnitus, the localization of the sound to one side of the head may be explained by the Stenger phenomenon. The brain shifts the position of the sound toward the ear in which it is heard louder. Chart 1 presents the audiograms