Arterial Abnormalities Leading to Tinnitus

Timothy R Miller; Yafell Serulle; Dheeraj Gandhi

doi:10.1016/j.nic.2015.12.002

Arterial Abnormalities Leading to Tinnitus

Neuroimaging Clin N Am. 2016 May;26(2):227-36. doi: 10.1016/j.nic.2015.12.002. Epub 2016 Feb 28.

Authors

Timothy R Miller¹, Yafell Serulle², Dheeraj Gandhi³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Interventional Neuroradiology, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 South Green Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Division of Interventional Neuroradiology, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 South Green Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
³ Division of Interventional Neuroradiology, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 South Green Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; Departments of Radiology, Neurology and Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 South Green Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.

PMID: 27154605
DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2015.12.002

Abstract

Tinnitus is a common symptom that usually originates in the middle ear. Vascular causes of pulsatile tinnitus are categorized by the location of the source of the noise within the cerebral-cervical vasculature: arterial, arteriovenous, and venous. Arterial stenosis secondary to atherosclerotic disease or dissection, arterial anatomic variants at the skull base, and vascular skull base tumors are some of the more common causes of arterial and arteriovenous pulsatile tinnitus. Noninvasive imaging is indicated to evaluate for possible causes of pulsatile tinnitus, and should be followed by catheter angiography if there is a strong clinical suspicion for a dural arteriovenous fistula.

Keywords: Internal carotid artery variants; Pulsatile tinnitus; Tinnitus; Vascular abnormalities; Vascular masses.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Carotid Artery, Internal / diagnostic imaging*
Humans
Tinnitus / diagnostic imaging*
Tinnitus / etiology*
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Vascular Malformations / complications*
Vascular Malformations / diagnostic imaging*