In search of cochlear morphologic correlates for tinnitus.

A correlative study was made of the cochlear pathologic features existing in the temporal bones of 83 subjects with a clinical history of tinnitus and 33 without tinnitus. None of 24 types of pathologic change assessed by light microscope occurred in more than 40% of tinnitus cases; nor was the prevalence of any of these pathologic changes significantly greater in subjects with tinnitus compared with control subjects. For five types of morphologic alteration the prevalence was significantly greater among control subjects compared with tinnitus cases, but this is interpreted cautiously because of the challenge in retrospectively selecting an appropriate control group. Under the conditions of the study, that is, using light-microscopic techniques on tissues obtained post mortem, we could not identify a pathologic correlate for tinnitus.