Pulsatile Tinnitus

Pulsatile tinnitus

        The rarest, most dangerous, yet the most treatable form of tinnitus is pulsatile tinnitus. Only about 3% of tinnitus patients suffer from this variation of the annoying illness. Actually, pulsatile tinnitus is somewhat harder to live with that the other kinds: it consist of a rhythmic pulsing noise, more often than not in perfect synchronization with your heartbeat. However, it can appear as a thumping or whooshing sound, in some cases.

       Because of the obvious connection with a patients' cardiac system, pulsatile tinnitus is often referred to as "vascular tinnitus", indicating its causality relation to the disturbances in the blood flow.

       Pulsatile tinnitus draws its origins from the side of the head or the back of the neck, where blood vessels are more likely to suffer from modifications. These anomalies, either natural or caused by certain environmental factors, generate turbulence in the normal pace of the blood flow: some increase the blood flow or simply narrow the channel of the blood vessel, therefore leading to a staccato sound that can be heard all the way to the ears. This mechanism of forming is the one thing that makes pulsatile tinnitus so very different from any other kind of tinnitus (be it independent or continuous, both resulting from damage to the cochlea, the hearing nerve or the neuropathways attached to it).

       Unfortunately, most patients suffer from both pulsatile and continuous tinnitus concomitantly. Their testimonies suggest that it is more difficult to hear your heartbeat all the time, than just some random noises. The noises sometimes stop, but if you stop hearing your heartbeat, then you know you are in serious trouble.

       Now, unlike other variations of tinnitus, pulsatile tinnitus may indicate some rather critical underlining diseases, which makes the investigation of its causes even more vital to the patient. Because it is related to one of the most important systems in the human body, you should not ignore it. More so, you should keep in mind that the thumping you hear constantly is your own sinus rhythm. If you hear changes in it, unexplained by physical effort or digestive problems, you might want to have your heart and your circulatory system checked out.

       During the visits to your medical doctor, a palette of tests should be performed on you: to begin with, your head and your neck will be examined by a specialist in such problems, a radiologist, through a complex imaging technique. If your initial imaging does not show any sort of anomalies in the designated areas, you must insist on further and more profound investigations, because sometimes your problems can be obscured or tangled in bones or other tissues structures.

       For the most accurate results, your medic should use the newest imaging techniques, such as Magnetic Resonance Angiography and Carotid Artery Ultrasonography. They indicate the exact site of the problem causing pulsatile tinnitus, which has a seriously high rate of healing once the location of the issue has been identified.

Specific causes and treatments for pulsatile tinnitus

• Benign Intracranial Hypertension: the patient suffering from this condition has an increased pressure in the liquid that surrounds the brain. It is common among young, overweight women and it can cause pulsatile tinnitus as well as loss of hearing, headaches, visual disturbances and dizziness. Most patients improve remarkably by weight loss alone.
• Glomus tumor: this is a benign tumor situated beneath the ear or inside of the ear canal, consisting of a mass of blood vessels, strung together in a complicated pile. It can be repaired by surgery in young patients, while the older ones might need no intervention, since their blood vessels are no longer developing.
• Middle ear effusion: The middle ear is a space between the outer ear and the inner ear that is normally filled with air. If that air is replaced with a fluid due to infection or inflammation, pulsatile tinnitus may occur. It is usually treated with antibiotics, decongestants and, in severe cases, surgery.