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Review
. 2021 Mar 2:12:81.
doi: 10.25259/SNI_1_2021. eCollection 2021.

Venous sinus stenting for intractable pulsatile tinnitus: A review of indications and outcomes

Brian Fiani  1 , Athanasios Kondilis  2 , Thao Doan  3 , Juliana Runnels  4 , Nicholas J Fiani  5 , Erika Sarno  2
Affiliations
Review

Venous sinus stenting for intractable pulsatile tinnitus: A review of indications and outcomes

Brian Fiani et al. Surg Neurol Int. .

Abstract

Background: Pulsatile tinnitus presents as a unique variation of tinnitus in which a conscious perception of the heartbeat is localized to the ears in either unilateral or bilateral fashion. The sensation is typically caused by an increase in turbulent blood flow in the affected ear, in most cases, due to a structural abnormality of the venous sinuses - the most common of which being stenosis. Herein, we discuss the etiology of pulsatile tinnitus followed by indications for treatment of various pathologies which have been successfully treated with venous sinus stenting and have led to resolution of auditory symptoms.

Methods: The authors queried PubMed database using combinations of the keywords "venous sinus stenting," "endovascular treatment," and "pulsatile tinnitus" to identify relevant studies published in English after 2001 and before December 1, 2020 and verified selected.

Results: Our results corroborate those published in prior reviews reporting a high rate of pulsatile tinnitus resolution with venous sinus stenting.

Conclusion: The success of venous sinus stenting is clinically relevant as an effective treatment option for patients suffering from pulsatile tinnitus. Future applications and studies are needed and are currently being developed to further demonstrate the effectiveness of stents in the treatment of pulsatile tinnitus.

Keywords: Angioplasty; Neuro-otology; Pulsatile tinnitus; Venous sinus stenosis; Venous sinus stenting.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Indications for venous sinus stenting in cases of pulsatile tinnitus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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