10 Mind-Boggling Facts on Unraveling the Mystery of Pulsatile Tinnitus

5. Underlying Condition Treatment

Pulsatile tinnitus is generally caused by an underlying condition that requires treatment. Doctors will focus on treating the condition and see if the symptoms resolve. If they don't, the patient may then move on to tinnitus retraining. One potentially fatal condition is intracranial hypertension. When this occurs, patients may have strange neurological symptoms that accompany the tinnitus. Intracranial hypertension requires emergency care to prevent permanent, potentially fatal brain injuries. If individuals have a blood vessel that has burst or become abnormally shaped, they may need surgery to repair it. Reparation of the blood vessels typically causes tinnitus symptoms to ease. Some patients may need to manage a blood vessel condition by using blood pressure medication or other medications.

6. The Doctor Can Hear It Too? The Phenomenon of Objective Pulsatile Tinnitus

Perhaps one of the most mind-boggling aspects of pulsatile tinnitus is that, in some cases, it's not just subjective. Unlike typical tinnitus which only the patient perceives, certain forms of pulsatile tinnitus are "objective," meaning a doctor might actually be able to hear the rhythmic sound by using a stethoscope carefully placed around the patient’s ear, head, or neck! This occurs when the underlying cause, often a vascular issue, generates a sound loud enough to be externally detectable. This shareable perception makes objective pulsatile tinnitus a particularly unique and verifiable auditory phenomenon, offering a crucial diagnostic clue.