Is Pulsatile Tinnitus a Vascular Issue or a Hearing Problem?

Each year, millions of people type search terms like “Why do I hear my heartbeat in my ear?” into Google and usually get nuanced advice about hearing loss, stress, or earwax buildup that never really seems to solve the issue. Research studies find that roughly 4% of all tinnitus cases are pulsatile, a distinct form of the condition in which the sound in your ear is the sound of blood moving through blood vessels near the auditory nerve. 

Many ENTs and audiologists miss this diagnosis because it is so uncommon. Read on to learn if the whooshing sound in your ear could be pulsatile tinnitus, what can be done to treat it, and where to find the best pulsatile tinnitus treatment in Lancaster.

What is Pulsatile Tinnitus?

Pulsatile tinnitus is the medical name for hearing a rhythmic whooshing, thumping, or swishing sound inside the ear that can match the beat of the heart. Patients sometimes describe it as a washing machine running in another room, an ocean wave that arrives in steady pulses, or a faint drumming behind the eardrum. The defining feature is the rhythm. The sound rises and falls in time with the pulse, which means it tends to get louder during exercise, after climbing stairs, or any time the heart is working harder.

A simple way to confirm what you are hearing is to take your pulse at the wrist while listening to the noise. If the two rhythms line up, that is a strong sign that the sound is pulsatile. 

Pulsatile Tinnitus vs. Regular Tinnitus: What is the Difference?

Most tinnitus is subjective tinnitus. The ringing, buzzing, or high-pitched tone that many people experience comes from within the auditory system and is often linked to age-related hearing loss, exposure to loud noise, or damage to the tiny hair cells in the cochlea. The brain interprets that damage as sound, even though nothing in the outside world is producing it. Because the source is internal and cannot be physically removed, treatment for subjective tinnitus typically includes:

• Coping strategies
• Hearing aids
• Sound therapy
• Counseling 

Pulsatile tinnitus is different. The sound is produced by turbulent blood flow somewhere near the inner ear. A vein, an artery, or a connecting vessel is moving blood in a pattern that the ear can pick up, similar to how a stethoscope picks up a heartbeat through the chest wall. Because the noise has a physical source, imaging tests can locate it, and a procedure aimed at that source can usually cure it.

What Causes a Whooshing in Your Ear?

The list of conditions that can produce pulsatile tinnitus is long, and most of them involve the vessels that carry blood into and out of the brain. The most common venous cause is sinus stenosis, a narrowing of one of the large veins that drain blood from the brain back to the heart. The narrowed area forces blood through a tighter channel and creates audible turbulence, much as pursing the lips turns a quiet exhale into a whistle. Other common venous sources include sigmoid sinus diverticulum and sigmoid sinus wall dehiscence, both of which involve the vein that runs near the inner ear, pushing against or through the thin layer of bone separating the two structures.

Is the Whooshing Sound in Your Ear a Sign of Something Bad?

Most cases of pulsatile tinnitus are not life-threatening, and many cases have a clear and treatable cause. A few patterns, however, point to conditions that need fast evaluation:

• Sound that affects only one ear is one of the most important red flags, because a one-sided whoosh usually points to a localized vascular source somewhere in the head or neck
• System-wide issues such as high blood pressure or anemia, which tend to produce sound in both ears
• Sudden onset is another warning sign, because pulsatile tinnitus that appears overnight, without a clear trigger like a workout or a head cold, may be related to a more serious condition

Other signals that call for prompt medical attention include: 

• Pulsatile tinnitus that gets louder over a period of weeks
• New headaches 
• Vision changes, such as blurring or brief blackouts
• Sound that gets worse when lying flat
• Any new weakness, numbness, or balance problems

Where to Find the Best Pulsatile Tinnitus Treatment in Lancaster

Pulsatile tinnitus can cost you sleep and disrupt your concentration at work or while relaxing. An answer is within reach, and it begins with seeing the best endovascular specialist in Lancaster

At the Vascular and Neuroscience Institute, we care for patients across Southern California and the Las Vegas area. Our team includes board-certified, fellowship-trained neuroendovascular surgeons who have spent their careers diagnosing and treating the vascular conditions behind pulsatile tinnitus. We use advanced diagnostics, including imaging tools like high-resolution MRAs and cerebral angiography, and we perform minimally invasive procedures that can quiet a whoosh sound in the ear in a single session.

Ready to get effective treatment of pulsatile tinnitus with help from the top endovascular specialist in Southern California?