Several people have written in with questions about how children with pulsatile tinnitus are affected, including how they may report the symptoms and what behaviors may help indicate that a child is experiencing tinnitus.  Also, some of you have pointed out that you developed tinnitus at such a young age and experienced the symptoms for so long, you didn't realize it was out of the ordinary until years later. 

Children with pulsatile tinnitus (and many other health conditions) often have difficulty describing their symptoms and expressing the way they feel.  After all, this is a challenge even for adult pulsatile tinnitus sufferers.  

There doesn't seem to be much (if any) information specifically focused on how to identify the youngest pulsatile tinnitus sufferers, however this page of questions and answers from The Oregon Tinnitus & Hyperacusis Treatment Clinic addresses tinnitus generally and includes some helpful tips that may help parents identify clues. 

48%  Major

36%  Minor

16%  No

25 Votes

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On a lighter note, I did a double-take when I saw an ad for the new and (apparently) trendy

Lady Gaga's Heartbeats In-Ear Headphones

"...holistically designed to deliver the soundtrack of your life."

Oh, Ms. Gaga, if you only knew.

If you are looking for a neurotologist in the United States, click here to access the 2009-2010 American Neurotology Society membership list by state (PDF file). 

This link will automatically download a PDF file to your downloads folder. 

See the American Neurotology Association for more information.  

Please write Whooshers@gmail.com if you have links to neurotologists outside the United States so we may share them with international Whooshers.

A common frustration experienced by individuals with pulsatile tinnitus is that we endure tests to determine the cause of the PT, only to get results that come back "unremarkable."  One dear whoosher described her "unremarkable" experience on her blog.

The only thing worse than having a test that reveals something not recognizable by doctors (as described in this post a few days ago) is having a test that reveals nothing because it wasn't the right test to begin with and then having doctors who stop investigating the cause of your pulsatile tinnitus.  

Of course, an unremarkable result can be a great relief.  When my first tests came back unremarkable, I was relieved because I had convinced myself that my whoosh had to be caused by a giant brain tumor (even though the chances of this were slim).  Sound familiar?  So yes, I was relieved that the tests did not reveal my great fear.  But after a few minutes of relief, I was faced with: Okay, so now what?  What's causing my pulsatile tinnitus?  Will I ever find out?  

Truth be told, I was tired of tests. But I was even more tired of doctors who told me to "live with" pulsatile tinnitus without any explanation. My frustration motivated me to find doctors who were curious about the cause of my pulsatile tinnitus.

An article written in August 2000 by doctors Jane L. Weissman, MD and Barry E. Hirsch, MD for the medical journal Radiology explains that it is common for these tests to come back with no abnormal results.  The article addresses tinnitus and pulsatile tinnitus. 

Instead of stopping the investigation into the cause of an individual's pulsatile tinnitus, these doctors suggest (to other doctors, by the way; remember, this is a medical journal) that MORE testing be done after initial tests come back normal or "unremarkable," precisely because some causes of pulsatile tinnitus DO NOT SHOW UP on some tests.

Even better, the article lists some conditions and recommends the "best" imaging techniques to diagnose them.  It goes even further about certain conditions.  For example, these doctors suggest that benign intracranial hypertension, "often has no abnormal imaging findings."

Each case is different, but if you're at a dead end and your doctors do not think more tests are necessary, you may want to share this with them.  Even if that CT scan came back "unremarkable," you and your doctors may be able to find answers in other tests. 

Finally, I recognize that this journal article and the one in the last post contradict each other a little bit.  The previous article suggested that the answers (to some conditions) are often in the tests and that the issue is finding a doctor who knows what to look for.  This article suggests that if at first you get unremarkable results in a test, have further tests. 

I suppose the solution is somewhere in the middle.  

Source: "Imaging of Tinnitus: A Review," August 2000 Radiology, 216, 342-349. 

We know that there are many possible causes of PT.  Sigmoid Sinus Diverticulum, a condition not many doctors are aware of, is just one in a sea of possibilities.  This post is not so much about the symptoms of this condition.  Instead, I'm focusing on the story within the story here.  Bear with me...

Doctors who conducted the study below say the condition can be detected in a CTA/V (computed tomographic arteriography and venography) and that a “new surgical approach” can correct it.  This part of the abstract jumped out at me:

"Results: All patients electing surgical reconstruction had immediate and lasting resolution of the tinnitus."

Great news!  But the catch is, doctors who look at the CTA/V need to know what to look for.  Even the best doctors may not have this condition on their radar.  Apparently, it was first reported in medical journals only within the last few years.

Couple that with the fact that few doctors specialize in pulsatile tinnitus and voila!  Some validation for all the frustration in finding the cause of your whoosh.

Many of us have had a variety of tests that come back “unremarkable” or without anything that appears abnormal. This study, completed by doctors for doctors, indicates that in the case of this particular condition, the answers are often in the films of these tests; it’s just a matter of finding the right doctor who can recognize the problem.

I hear from many of you who tell me you've had tests over 1, 5, even 20 years, only to find out that the original tests revealed the cause of your whoosh.  Regular readers of Whooshers.com will remember that this was true, too, in the case of the whoosher with Chiari Malformation who told her story here. Years of suffering that didn't have to happen.  

Moral of the story: Don't give up if your tests come back "unremarkable." 

This abstract/summary below is for a study that explores diagnosis of sigmoid sinus diverticulum and surgery to correct it in select pusaltile tinnitus patients.

Otology & Neurotology - Abstract: Volume 28(1) January 2007 p 48-53 Sigmoid Sinus Diverticulum: A New Surgical Approach to the Correction of Pulsatile Tinnitus.

There aren't many resources about this condition in layman's terms (if you find one, please send it to us!), so ask your doctor for more information.  If s/he hasn't heard about it, provide them with the Web site above!

One patient describes her experience with sigmoid sinus diverticulum (symptoms/diagnosis/treatment) here.

Remember, this site is not a place to diagnose yourself or others.  We’re simply putting information out there –information that is already out there, but often difficult to find—to encourage you to continue seeking the cause of your PT, and to inform you as you have discussions with your doctors.

Have you been diagnosed with sigmoid sinus diverticulum?  If so we’d like to hear about your experience at whooshers@gmail.com, or post below in the comments section. 

34%  subsides dramatically. 

27%  disappears completely!  

27%  remains the same. 

10%  subsides just a bit. 

1%   Other answer...

41 Votes

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Click HERE for a link to a selection of materials that mention pulsatile tinnitus.

Most of these are technical and not in lay terms, but you can read the abstracts (summaries/overviews) and discuss them with your doctor.