Pulsatile tinnitus is a rhythmical sound that beats in time with your hearbeat. The sounds and rhythms you experience will vary from person to person.



While Pulsatile tinnitus is not a common type of tinnitus, it has some well-known causes including hypertension, heart murmur, glomus (globe-shaped) tumor, Eustachian tube disorder, It is always possible to treat pulsatile tinntus because you can treat the problem responsible for the pulsatile tinnitus.

Throbbing tinnitus can be the result of increased blood flow in the large arteries in the neck, the base of the skull, or the smaller blood vessels in the inner ear.

Blood flow can be affected by many factors including:

Localized faster blood flow throughout the body which happens during strenuous exercise or can be caused by severe anemia.

Localized increased flow of blood occurs when a blood vessel is narrower than it should be. Obviously other blood vessels in the area will now need to move more blood as a result. The extra flow generates noise and can result in Pulsatile tinnitus.

When the arteries become compacted with fatty cholesterol deposits, the blood flow becomes erratic instead of the smooth journey it will normally take. This results in pulsatile tinnitus sounds in the ear.

Causes of Pulsatile Tinnituscan Include:

Abnormal groups of blood vessels and veins that occur within the cranial cavity close to the auditory nerve.

Carotid artery-cavernous sinus fistula - An abnormal connection between a large vein and venous pool within the cranial cavity; usually because of of a severe blow to the head.

Problems of the middle ear or infections. Chronic inflammation is accompanied by increase in the flow of blood to the inflamed tissue. Because this tissue is in the ear, some people are able to hear the increased blood flow.

Middle ear fluid. The middle ear is normall an air-filled space. Pulsatile tinnitus will be heard if fuid is allowed to gather in the middle ear or if the Eustachian tubes are blocked.

Vascular tumors in the middle ear - commonly referred to as glomus (globe-shaped) tumors or paragangliomas. Surgery is required for correction of this problem.

Pulsatile tinnitus will also occur when the is a constriction or a partial blockage of these arteries from an atheroma which is a fatty deposit in inner lining of an artery, which can restrict blood flow and is caused by high levels of cholesterol in the body .

Treatment for Pulsatile tinnitus is related to it's specific cause. i.e. Pulsatile tinnitus that is a result of from high cholesterol levels in the body is relieved by controlling the diet thus reducing the levels of cholesterol in the blood.

Treatment of pulsatile tinnitus generally involves a multi-disciplinary approach and includes a variety of symptom controlling approaches. The majority of sufferers experiencing Pulsatile tinnitus are helped using standard methods of tinnitus relief treatments including drug therapy, alternative treatments, and relaxation therapy.