Tinnitus is tolerated by most patients, but in others it is enough of a problem that they seek medical attention. Results of treatment have been mixed. On occasion, a patient is so distressed by tinnitus that he or she is incapacitated and seeks help in an emergency department. We describe what we believe is the first reported case of recurrent incapacitating tinnitus secondary to inner ear tertiary syphilis in which a patient successfully responded to emergency treatment with intravenous lidocaine.
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