Treatment of venous pulsatile tinnitus in younger women.
BACKGROUND
We present 7 cases of pulsatile tinnitus (PT) of venous origin in younger women seen over a period of 24 years and treated by Internal Jugular Bulb ligation.


METHODS
All patients had a pulsatile bruit in one side of the neck that disappeared when gentle pressure over the internal jugular vein (IJV) caused it to collapse as seen in a duplex scan. Their computed tomography showed a dominant venous system with a high jugular bulb on the side of the bruit.


RESULTS
The IJV was ligated under local anesthesia. Five patients in whom the ligation was done above the facial vein were cured. Two patients in whom the ligation was done below the facial vein experienced a decrease but not disappearance of the PT.


CONCLUSIONS
Once other possible causes for PT have been discarded, ligation of the IJV above the facial vein cures this condition.
Department of Vascular Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI. Electronic address: rberguer@umich.edu.
Ramón
R
Berguer
Department of Otolaryngology, Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, MI.
Peggy
P
Nowak
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000772:Anesthesia, Local; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007601:Jugular Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008026:Ligation; D008875:Middle Aged; D010690:Phlebography / Q000379:methods; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex; D055815:Young Adult