Open Access
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Laryngorhinootologie 2022; 101(S 02): S243-S244
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1746903
Poster
Otology / Neurootology / Audiology: Tinnitus

Pulsatile tinnitus – an assessment based on a standardized, systematic examination protocol

Authors

  • Theodoros Panidis

    1   Ortenau Klinikum Lahr-Ettenheim, Klinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, spezielle Kopf-Hals-Chirurgie und plastische Operationen Lahr

  • Konrad Schwager

    2   Klinikum Fulda gAG, Klinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenkrankheiten, Kopf-, Hals- und plastische Gesichtschirurgie, Kommunikationsstörungen (Hör-, Stimm- und Sprachstörungen) Fulda
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Introduction 

Pulsatile tinnitus is mostly a unilateral, rhythmic, pulse-synchronous sound of vascular origin. The approach in diagnostic and treatment protocols is inconsistent and unsystematic in relevant literature. The present study is based on the world's largest systematically examined patient group.

Methods 

This thesis comprises the retrospective evaluation of the clinical data of 108 consecutively examined patients with pulsatile tinnitus according to a standardized, structured diagnostic protocol. The aim was to achieve a precise differentiation between the individual causes and to reach the highest possible degree of specific treatments.

Results 

The most frequent causes were a high-riding jugular bulb, a loop of the AICA artery into the internal auditory canal followed by a dural a.v. fistula, vascular stenosis, a transverse sinus dominance and an idiop. intracr. hypertension. No source could be identified in approximately 30% of the patient population. 10 out of 14 patients could be freed from their pulsatile tinnitus.

Conclusion 

Compared to the literature, a particularly high number of differentiated diagnoses and therefore successful therapies could be achieved through a systematic, standardized examination protocol. Consequently the authors recommend to proceed according to the presented algorithm for all pulsatile tinnitus.



Publication History

Article published online:
24 May 2022

© 2022. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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