Pulsatile tinnitus is defined as tinnitus that occurs synchronously with the pulse.
Etiology
Pulsatile tinnitus can have many different causes1 2 3:
| Lesion type | Etiology |
|---|---|
| Arterial lesion | AVM <br /> Dural arteriovenous fistula <br /> Carotid-cavernous fistula <br /> Aneurysm of the ICA <br /> Fibromuscular dysplasia of the ICA <br /> Dissection of the ICA <br /> Aberrant carotid artery <br /> Arteriosclerosis <br />Vascular anomaly of the ear <br /> Vascular compression of the vestibulocochlear nerve |
| Venous lesion | Anomaly of the superior bulb of the internal jugular vein <br /> Dominant or prominent transverse sinus <br /> Benign intracranial hypertension <br /> Abnormal emissary veins at the mastoid or occipital condyle |
| Neoplastic | Glomus jugulare tumors <br /> Hemangioma of the facial nerve <br /> Cavernous hemangioma <br /> Histiocytosis X <br /> Paget disease |
| Other | Anemia <br /> Increased cardiac output <br /> Thyrotoxicosis <br /> Osteosclerosis |
References
Neurosurgery Case Review: Questions and Answers. Remi Nader, Abdulrahman J Sabbagh. 2020 Thieme Verlage. ISBN 9781626231986 ↩ ↩
Shin, Edward J., Anil K. Lalwani, and Christopher F. Dowd. "Role of angiography in the evaluation of patients with pulsatile tinnitus." The Laryngoscope 110.11 (2000): 1916-1920. ↩ ↩
Weissman, Jane L., and Barry E. Hirsch. "Imaging of tinnitus: a review." Radiology 216.2 (2000): 342-349. ↩ ↩