This open pilot study was carried out with the intent of assessing the pertinence of combining Vastarel 20 mg with electroacoustic stimulation, as opposed to using solely the electroacoustic stimulation method in the management of subjective tinnitus. Enrolled in the study were 64 patients presenting with subjective tinnitus, 50% of which were related to vascular disorders. Following the entry visit (clinical examination, pure-tone audiometry, Metz' test, auditory evoked potentials, CT scans of the internal auditory canal), the patients underwent six 45-minute sessions of electroacoustic stimulation at one-week intervals. Half the patients followed this sole treatment, while the other half was immediately started on Vastarel 20 mg (3 tablets daily) concurrently with the first electroacoustic stimulation session and maintained on this regimen for 3 months. The electroacoustic stimulation (EAS) device used (Tinitop) was operated by emitting a synchronic sound signal mediated by a cask and an electric signal mediated by adhesive electrodes placed in the pretragal area. Results Results were analyzed through history-taking on the 45th and 90th days following the onset of the treatment, subjective improvement of tinnitus being rated from 0% to 100% based on 25% scoring levels (0 = no effect; 100% = complete disappearance of tinnitus spells). At day 45, the proportion of good and very good results (50% improvement or more) was similar (56%), regardless of whether Vastarel 20 mg was or not associated with EAS therapy. On the other hand, the combination of Vastarel 20 mg with masking of tinnitus proved particularly useful in preventing recurrences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)