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What is the best imaging modality in evaluating patients with unilateral pulsatile tinnitus?
Author(s) -
Ahsan Syed F.,
Seidman Michael,
Yaremchuk Kathleen
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1002/lary.24822
Subject(s) - medicine , tinnitus , radiology , radiological weapon , population , surgery , audiology , environmental health
BACKGROUND Pulsatile tinnitus (PT) is a relatively rare cause of tinnitus. It makes up about 4% of patients with tinnitus, which in turn affects up to 10% of the population. PT can be described as objective or subjective, as well as venous, arterial, or nonvascular. About 20% of PT patients will have objective tinnitus. Incidence of abnormal, often treatable, structural findings in patients with PT has been noted to be high, ranging from 44% to 91%. PT can be a result of vascular as well as neoplastic causes, and if left undiagnosed, it can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Overlooking an aneurysm or a tumor maybe catastrophic for the patient; therefore, further investigation is highly recommended. In this Best Practice review, we aim to evaluate the various imaging modalities and determine which may be the best initial test in patients presenting with unilateral PT.