Caracterização dos efeitos da fotobiomodulação nas medidas psicoacústicas do zumbido em indivíduos normo-ouvintes: um estudo preliminar

Abstract

Objective: To characterize the effects of photobiomodulation on the psychoacoustic measures of tinnitus in normal-hearing individuals. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental, cross-sectional, quantitative-qualitative, applied, and analytical study. The sample consisted of 10 individuals who underwent a complete audiological evaluation, both pre- and post-photobiomodulation therapy, including audiological anamnesis, meatoscopy, pure-tone audiometry from 250 Hz to 16,000 Hz, speech audiometry, acoustic immittance measurements, PEATE-click, and acoumetry from 250 Hz to 16,000 Hz. The photobiomodulation intervention consisted of 8 sessions, performed twice weekly. The Wilcoxon test was used for inferential analysis, with a significance level of 0.05. Results: The sample, with a mean age of 23.9 years and 40% female participants, presented tinnitus in 90% of cases bilaterally and 100% as acute tinnitus. Participants had normal hearing, with variations in high-frequency auditory thresholds. Post-intervention descriptive analysis showed that 80% reduced auditory thresholds at the tinnitus frequency, 50% decreased tinnitus intensity, loudness increased in 60% of cases, and 60% reported a reduction in minimum masking level. Pre and post-intervention comparisons of these variables did not show statistical significance. In the THI, 70% classified tinnitus as negligible after therapy, indicating improvement, with a significant relationship between THI scores and changes in acoumetry. Conclusion: Photobiomodulation therapy demonstrated potential to promote changes in psychoacoustic measures of tinnitus and reduce its impact on individuals' quality of life. Future studies with larger samples and prolonged follow-up are recommended