Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination, laboratory diagnostics, and obligatory medical device diagnostics – for differential diagnostic clarification.
- Recruitment measurement – representation of objective hearing for different sounds.
- Otoacoustic emissions – objective representation of the response of the inner ear to various stimuli.
- ERA (Electric Response Audiometry) – objective representation of the response of the inner ear to various stimuli.
- Doppler/duplex sonography (ultrasound examination: combination of a sonographic cross-sectional image (B-scan) and the Doppler sonography method; imaging method of medicine that can dynamically represent fluid flows (especially blood flow)) of the carotids (carotid arteries) – in the case of vascular risk factors and unremarkable ENT findings and objective, pulsatile or pulse-synchronous tinnitus.
- Brainstem–evoked response audiometry (BERA): procedure allows to measure acoustically evoked (lat. evocare, “to summon”, “to evoke”) brainstem potentials (AEHP); used to assess objective hearing ability.
- Computed tomography of the skull (cranial CT, cranial CT or cCT) or CT angiography – in the case of conspicuous tympanic membrane findings and objective pulsatile or pulse synchronous tinnitus.
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the skull (cranial MRI, cranial MRI or cMRI) or MR angiography – in the case of inconspicuous ENT findings and objective, pulsatile tinnitus or as a continuing diagnosis after CT.
- Cranial angiography – to exclude a dural fistula in the case of inconspicuous MRI.
- Tinnitus matching – different tones are played to the affected person via headphones to identify the character of the ringing in the ears
- Tinnitus masking – via headphones, different tones are played in increasing volume, up to the volume at which the affected person states that they no longer perceive their own ear noise
- Sound audiogram – representation of subjective hearing for different sounds.
- Transitory evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE): acoustic response of the inner ear to a short, broadband acoustic stimulus – in cases of suspected cochlear dysfunction (malfunction of the inner ear).
