title: Is there a relationship between subjective pulsatile tinnitus and petrous bone pneumatization?
abstract: Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between subjective pulsatile tinnitus and petrous bone pneumatization. Twenty-five patients admitted between January 2012 and March 2012 were assessed. The control group data were obtained by assessment of petrous bone images of 25 cases in which paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) was performed because of chronic sinusitis and in which no ear pathology was present. Temporal bone CT images of patients with subjective pulsatile tinnitus were compared with those of patients with no ear complaints. The presence of petrous bone pneumatization was evaluated by CT. Subjective pulsatile tinnitus complaints were present for 32 of 50 ears. Pneumatization was detected in the petrous bone of 22 (68.8%) of 32 ears with subjective pulsatile tinnitus. In the control group, 25 patients (50 ears) with no ear complaints were assessed. Petrous bone pneumatization was detected in 12 (24%) of 50 ears comprising the control group. There was a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups (P = 0.000 < 0.001). Petrous bone pneumatization might be the cause of the subjective pulsatile tinnitus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Şişli Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. esrasoz@gmail.com
authors.forename: Esra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sözen
authors.forename: Irfan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Çelebi
authors.forename: Yusuf Orhan
authors.initials: YO
authors.lastname: Uçal
authors.forename: Berna Uslu
authors.initials: BU
authors.lastname: Coşkun
mesh_terms: D000388:Air; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010579:Petrous Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed