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Scans and tests your GP or consultant may recommend for Tinnitus

This is information about which scans and tests may be used to assess Tinnitus, and what each one is: not a recommendation. Your clinician decides which scan or test, if any, you need. Prices below are typical UK private ranges; enter your postcode to see the NHS wait near you.

Tinnitus is hearing a sound, such as ringing, buzzing, humming or hissing, that does not come from an outside source. About tinnitus and NHS waits →

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Examination and hearing check first
Tinnitus is assessed from your symptoms and an examination of the ears, usually with a hearing test.
Hearing test
A hearing test (audiometry) checks whether a hearing loss is linked to the tinnitus. It is a test, not a scan.
Pure-tone audiometry measures the quietest sounds you can hear across a range of pitches, played through headphones. It is a test rather than an imaging scan.
How long: Usually 20 to 40 minutes.
Good for: Measuring the type and degree of hearing loss.
Privately: Private hearing tests are widely available.
MRI
Used only if a specific cause is suspected, such as tinnitus in one ear, to check the hearing nerve.
An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to build detailed pictures of soft tissues such as muscles, ligaments, cartilage, discs and the brain. It uses no radiation.
How long: Usually 15 to 45 minutes, lying still inside a tunnel-shaped scanner.
Good for: Soft-tissue and joint detail: ligament and cartilage injuries, the spine and discs, and the brain.
Typical UK private cost: £300 to £1145. Usually bookable within days.

Sources: NICE (NG155), NHS.

See the wait and price near you

Enter your postcode for the NHS wait at your nearest hospital and the private price range from clinics within 25 miles.

All conditions, scans and tests →MRI waits by hospital →All NHS waiting times →

Wait or Pay is independent and is not the NHS. NHS waits are from DM01 diagnostics data. Nothing here is medical advice; your clinician decides which scan, if any, you need.

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