Management of palatal myoclonic tinnitus based on clinical characteristics: a large case series study

Abstract

Background: Palatal myoclonic tinnitus (PMT) is a rare otological condition caused by rhythmic contractions of soft palate muscles. Due to its rarity, only a few case series studies have been reported in the literature at the present time.

Aims: This large case series study reviews treatment outcomes of PMT patients over the past 15 years based on clinical characteristics.

Materials and methods: Between the year 2003 and 2018, 54 patients with a diagnosis of PMT were assessed. Clinical characteristics, audiological findings, psychological status, and other relevant medical history were thoroughly reviewed. Response to various treatment modalities were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: The mean age of enrolled patients was 29.0 ± 16.4 years, with female gender predominance. All of the patients complained of ‘clicky’ sounding tinnitus. Twenty-nine patients had comorbid tinnitus of other type. Reassurance and behavior therapy was sufficient for young patients. Medication was effective in 44.4% of the patients. Botulinum toxin injection in the palate led to complete resolution of symptoms in a majority of intractable PMT patients.

Conclusions and significance: Management of PMT should be customized according to the individual clinical characteristics of the patients. This study may provide insightful information to establish optimal treatment modalities for PMT.

Chinese abstract

背景：上颚肌阵挛性耳鸣（PMT）是一种罕见的耳病, 由软上颚肌的节律性收缩引起。由于其稀有性, 目前文献中仅有少数病例系列研究的报道。

目的：这项大型案例研究回顾了过去15年中PMT患者的治疗结果根据临床特点。

材料与方法：2003年至2018年之间的54例诊断为PMT的患者得以评估。对临床特征、听力学发现、心理状态和其它相关病史进行了彻底审查。对各种治疗方式的反应进行了回顾性分析。

结果：参与患者的平均年龄为29.0±16.4岁, 女性占多数。所有患者都抱怨“嘀嗒”声耳鸣。 29名患者患有其它类型的合并耳鸣。对于年轻患者而言, 心理和行为疗法就足够了。药物对44.4％的患者有效。对于大多数顽固性PMT患者, 上颚注射肉毒杆菌毒素可完全缓解症状。

结论和意义：PMT的治疗应根据患者个人的临床特征情况进行量身定制。这项研究可能会为建立PMT的最佳治疗方式, 提供有价值的信息。

Keywords:

• Palate
• myoclonus
• tinnitus
• diagnosis
• Botulinum toxin

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.