Neuromonics Announces Publication of Private Practice Tinnitus Treatment Study

Editor: You may be familiar with Neuromonics, a company that offers treatment for tinnitus. A recently completed study commissioned by them seems to support the conclusion that the Neuromonics treatment is effective for treating tinnitus. Here's their press release.

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November 2008

Neuromonics Inc has announced publication of the largest private-practice study evaluating the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment, which comprehensively targets the condition's neurological processes. Published in the November issue of Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, the 470-patient study demonstrates that 92% of the patient cohort who met suitability criteria significantly improved following the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment.

This is the first study that evaluated the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment's efficacy for the entire tinnitus population; the study did not just include the most suitable patients, but also more difficult-to-treat sufferers with complicating clinical factors. The research showed that the treatment also improved symptoms for those patients with complications, including those who also presented with decreased loudness tolerance (hyperacusis) or severe hearing loss. The results provide instructive guidance to health care professionals, by demonstrating how defined criteria relating to treatment suitability impacts treatment outcomes.

"This data further validates the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment's effectiveness for difficult-to-treat patients with limited therapeutic options," said Peter Hanley, PhD, study co-author. "This is the first study to reflect the broad diversity of patients seen in a 'real world' private practice clinic setting, and demonstrates that the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment leads to significant improvements for a broad cross section of patients with tinnitus. By comprehensively addressing tinnitus' underlying neurological processes, Neuromonics is uniquely positioned to help the millions of patients seeking quality-of-life improvements."

Traditional treatment options for tinnitus sufferers have offered limited long-term benefit. Notably, 49% of the patients in this study had previously tried other common treatments, with limited success. And importantly, unlike traditional therapies, the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment led to rapid changes in tinnitus disturbance in this study. The data shows 78% of the overall benefit reported by patients through the course of treatment occurred during the first 10 weeks of treatment.

While the study's 470 patients all had tinnitus, a condition commonly characterized by ringing in the ears, they differed in their level of symptom severity and clinical profile; for example, the existence of associated clinical complications. All patients were fitted with the Neuromonics device and provided with treatment in a network of private-practice clinics. The study compared treatment outcomes across three cohorts, to which patients were assigned based on pre-defined criteria, including their psychological state and level of hearing loss.

The Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment delivers a prescribed acoustic neural stimulus, customized for each patient's individual audiological profile, and incorporating specially processed, relaxing music. The stimulus is designed to provide relief and relaxation in the initial phase of treatment, and then progressively over a period of several months, to facilitate desensitization to the tinnitus. In this way, the therapy can help the brain filter out the tinnitus perception, so that it no longer intrudes on the patient's conscious attention, and no longer has a disturbing impact on quality of life. By targeting the condition's underlying neurological basis, Neuromonics may offer enhanced effectiveness for patients compared to alternatives.

About the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment

Neuromonics' noninvasive, FDA-cleared device is customized to the patient's unique hearing and tinnitus profile. It delivers a customized neural stimulus that targets the brain's auditory pathways and is believed to aid in neuroplasticity, or the process of neuronal change. This process appears to be involved in allowing the brain to filter out the disturbing tinnitus perception. This stimulus incorporates spectrally modified, customized music, which engages the brain's emotional response center, the limbic system, and thereby reduces tinnitus-related disturbance. Research published in the April 2007 issue of Ear & Hearing demonstrates the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment yields clinically significant reduction in tinnitus disturbance in more than 90% of suitable patients in a formal clinical trial setting. The Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment is the most comprehensive, long-term therapy that targets the neurological processes of tinnitus; specifically, its audiological, attention-based, and emotional aspects.

Clinically administered and monitored, the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment is proven to yield significant long-term reduction of tinnitus disturbance. The therapy is delivered via a compact, lightweight and uniquely designed medical device. Treatment typically occurs over an approximately six-month period, with daily use recommended for two or more hours per day, especially when the tinnitus is most disturbing. The treatment can take place during regular activities such as reading, relaxing or computer work.

About Neuromonics