Pulsatile Tinnitus

If the ear noise that you experience is rhythmical and beats in time with your heartbeat, then you have pulsatile tinnitus. It may come as a low-pitched thumping or booming sound, or as a high-pitched clicking noise. It is the less common tinnitus type, and only around 3% of the sufferers of the condition experience this type.

Its causes generally have something to do with the blood vessels and blood flow. Its well-known causes include hypertension, glomus (globe-shaped) tumor, heart murmur, and abnormality of a vein or an artery. Furthermore, it has other potential causes, including:

• Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs)
• Benign Intracranial Hypertension (BIH)

• Atherosclerotic Carotid Artery Disease
• Twisted Arteries

• Intracranial Vascular Lesions

• Venous Hum

• Chronic inflammation or infection in the middle ear
• Vascular tumors in the middle ear

• Middle ear effusion

What has blood flow got to do with pulsatile tinnitus?

There is a localized increase in blood flow if a blood vessel is narrower than usual, and adjacent blood vessels need to carry extra blood. This extra flow then generates noise, which we know as tinnitus. Furthermore, when you have atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, turbulent blood flow may take place. What happens is that atherosclerosis causes the blood vessels to narrow, preventing blood from flowing smoothly. In effect, blood flow becomes noisy.

It is important that the root cause of this rhythmic noise is determined as it is generally treated according to its cause. The help of a physician must be sought, and you may have to undergo a series of tests. Imaging techniques like Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), ultrasound, CT scan, and Carotid Artery Ultrasonography are being used to help determine the root causes.

How is it treated?

As mentioned, the treatment is generally dependent on its cause. If for instance the root cause is blocked or narrowed arteries, then surgical reparation is conducted or if the root cause is hypertension, then medication is the appropriate treatment.

In most cases, sufferers of pulsatile tinnitus undergo multi-disciplinary treatments and various symptom management methods. Standard methods of treatments include drug therapy, alternative treatments, biological feedback, and relaxation therapy. To help lower the level of the this ear noise, the cholesterol levels in the blood must also be lowered. Of course, the basics like maintaining a balanced diet and a proper and regular exercise to improve blood circulation are needed.