Pulsatile Tinnitus

The Pulsatile Tinnitus Program offers patients a path for diagnosis and treatment of this condition. There are two key elements in this effort:

• A multi-disciplinary approach, which is necessary to achieve the highest level of care
• State-of-the-art, non-invasive imaging

At Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, patients with pulsatile tinnitus are evaluated with specialized MRI scans that are specifically designed to identify vascular problems from the arteries and veins adjacent to the ear. Patients may also need additional imaging to identify tumors or problems in the temporal bone and the ear structures, as well as audiometry and tympanometry. Additional testing may be needed after the initial work-up.  

One of the advanced treatments that have been pioneered at Weill Cornell Medicine is venous sinus stenting. Many patients with pulsatile tinnitus are found to have a narrowing in the large veins of the brain. This is often associated with expansion of the vein past the stenosis, a condition called venous diverticula. The combination of narrowing and expansion of the vein  causes turbulent flow adjacent to the ear, resulting in pulsatile tinnitus.