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Whoosh [hwoosh, hwoosh, woosh, woosh] noun 1. a loud, rushing noise, as of air or water: a great whoosh as the door opened.
verb (used without object) 2. to move swiftly with a gushing or hissing noise: gusts of wind whooshing through the trees.
verb (used with object) 3. to move (an object, a person, etc.) with a whooshing motion or sound: The storm whooshed the waves
over the road. Also, woosh. Origin: 1840-1850; imit.
Pulsatile tinnitus is not tinnitus.
Pulsatile tinnitus is a rhythmical noise that is synchronous with the patient's heartbeat.
One day, a doctor told me that I was the only patient he'd ever
seen complain of what I described as Pulsatile Tinnitus and to "live with it."
Then I created Whooshers.com.
Whooshers.com has received over ONE MILLION hits, and
we founded the FIRST NOT-FOR-PROFIT DEVOTED TO THE PULSATILE TINNITUS
COMMUNITY at PulsatileTinnitus.com .
*The majority of underlying causes of Pulsatile Tinnitus CAN be identified and treated.*
Read on for the SUPPORT
you need!
Acoustic Neuroma - Another Possible Cause of Pulsatile Tinnitus According to Mayo Clinic , an acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that develops on the balance (vestibular) and hearing, or auditory (cochlear) nerves
leading from your inner ear to the brain.
This recent article highlighted the story of a Michigan woman who presented symptoms including pulsatile tinnitus for years, but her complaints
were dismissed and some doctors even told her they were a result of her pregnancies. Some doctors even suggested that her
multiple trips to the ER were her efforts just to get more drugs. She was completely dismissed, feeling like no one
believed her.
Eventually, after her SECOND child was born and her symptoms persisted doctors ordered a CT scan
and MRI, which revealed that her symptoms were caused by acoustic neuroma. She had surgery. Her path of recovery was both
physical and psychological. Sharing her story was part of that process.
While acoustic neuroma is a rare cause of pulsatile
tinnitus, this woman's story brings up the unfortunate, familiar experiences many patients with pulsatile tinnitus have with
members of the medical community that are unfamiliar with our symptom. Persistence is key.
For more information
on acoustic neuromas, see the following links here , here and here . There are also numerous support groups on social media.
And doctors, please update your sites! Add PULSATILE tinnitus
as a possible symptom, in addition to tinnitus. Pulsatile tinnitus is not tinnitus and the distinction is important. This
woman's symptom was clearly described as a whoosh sound that was in sync with her heartbeat (pulsatile tinnitus) not ringing
in the ears. We've gone to great lengths to promote the distinction for our community - even getting our own medical codes .
This and many other personal stories and medical reports may be found on the Cured Whooshers page.
Sun, August 25, 2019 | link
Pulsatile Tinnitus & Children "How many members of the pulsatile tinnitus community are under the age of 18?"
"I've heard the whoosh
since I can remember - I never thought it wasn't normal."
"I told my teachers when I was little that I heard
soldiers marching in the snow, but no one believed me."
"I'm a parent of a young child and can hear the whoosh
when laying beside him/her."
These are just some of the questions and testimonials received over the years
regarding pulsatile tinnitus and children.
As of today, if you Google "pulsatile tinnitus and children" the
first results include erroneous links about tinnitus (which is not pulsatile tinnitus), ads for ENTs (who are usually not
the ideal medical professional to consult about *pulsatile tinnitus), and links to inhalers, which are hardly ever the solution
for any patient with pulsatile tinnitus.
Often, by the time pulsatile tinnitus is taken seriously in a child's case,
the child is a young adult or older. Parents of young children email us periodically in a panic when they hear their child's
whoosh, or hear child's complaints of the whoosh and when they (like adult patients) are blown off. As difficult as it is
for adults to find proper care for this symptom and to determine the underlying cause, it is exponentially more complex in
a child's case. There are relatively few doctors who truly understand the complexity of pulsatile tinnitus, and even fewer
who treat younger patients.
This has to change.
Reports on this topic are few and limited in information,
primarily because the studies usually involve so small numbers of participants. We don't know how common pulsatile tinnitus
is among children. We don't even know enough today about how common pulsatile tinnitus is among adults. But we do know there
have been cases of pulsatile tinnitus among children, and on occasion the topic gains more attention.
For example, t his recent report regarding idiopathic intracranial hypertension , a potential underlying cause of pulsatile tinnitus, is focused on children. Not all patients in the study presented
with pulsatile tinnitus, but a portion did. The report reflects that the small sample size of the study is among the limitations
of the study. It's a step in the right direction, asking questions of a subset of our community we know too little about.
If
you are a younger person reading this, or an adult who experienced pulsatile tinnitus as a child, or a parent of a child possibly
suffering from pulsatlle tinnitus, we believe you! Keep searching for answers.
Parents, let us know if our community
can help.
Article source: Gondi
KT, Chen KS, Gratton SM. Asymptomatic versus symptomatic idiopathic intracranial hypertension in children [published
online July 1, 2019]. J Child Neurol . doi:10.1177/0883073819858455
Sun, August 11, 2019 | link
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VIDEO
VIDEO
RESOURCES
Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulsatile Tinnitus, Dr. Maksim Shapiro, NYU Neurointerventional Radiology Section, NYU Langone
Medical Center - neuroangio.org
Radiation Dose Chart - American Nuclear Society (ANS) Public Information Resources Page: Click here for an interactive dose
chart for various medical diagnostic tests. A downloadable and printable version is also available on this page. Discuss with
your doctors.
Find a Neurotologist: American Neurotological Society (ANS) Membership Roster
Find a Neurointervention Specialist: Society of Neurointerventional Surgery (SNIS)- Click on "Doctor Finder"
Find a Neuro-Ophthalmologist: The North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS)
Site: Neuroangio.org - Your neurovascular education and information resource. Patient Information.
UCSF Pulsatile Tinnitus Clinic
Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus: Differential Diagnosis and Radiological Work-Up," Sjoert A. H. Pegge, Stefan C. A. Steens, Henricus
P. M. Kunst, and Frederick J. A. Meijer, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen
and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, The Netherlands. (SEE TABLE 1).
Presentation: "Algorithm for Evaluation of Rhythmic Tinnitus," Douglas E Mattox, MD, Patricia Hudgins, MD, Jahrsdoerfer Lecture,
University of Virginia, March 25, 2010. (This link is to the abstract/summary)
Presentation: "Imaging of the Patient with Tinnitus," Mary Beth Cunnane MD, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dec 2013.
(NEW! Mentions Pulsatile Tinnitus and Whooshers.com. Republished with Permission.)
Article: "Imaging in Pulsatile Tinnitus: Diagnostic Pearls and Potential Pitfalls," B. S. Purohit, R. Hermans, K. Op de beeck;
1SINGAPORE/SG, 2Leuven/BE, European Society of Radiology, 2014.
Article: "Imaging In Pulsatile Tinnitus : When Should It Ring A Bell?" G. Bathla1, V. Chong; 1singapore/SG, 2Singapore/SG,
European Society of Radiology, 2012."
Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus: Contemporary Assessment and Management," Aristides Sismanis, Current Opinion in Otolaryngology
& Head & Neck Surgery: October 2011 - Volume 19 - Issue 5 - p 348357 doi: 10.1097/MOO.0b013e3283493fd8, Otology and neuro-otology:
Edited by Myles L. Pensak.
NEW Article: "Emergence of Venous Stenosis as the Dominant Cause of Pulsatile Tinnitus," Eytan RazErez NossekDaniel Jethanamest,
Vinayak Narayan, Aryan Ali, Vera Sharashidze, Tibor Becske, Peter K. Nelson, Maksim Shapiro, Originally published8 May 2022
https://doi.org/10.1161/SVIN.121.000154, American Heart Association Journal - Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology.
2022;0:e000154
Article: "Temporal Bone: Vascular Tinnitus," William W.M. Lo and M. Marcel Maya, Vascular, pp.1361-1374, 2003.
Article: "Diagnostic Clues in Pulsatile Tinnitus (Somatosounds)," Carlos Herraiza and José Miguel Aparicioa, Unidad de Acúfenos;
Instituto ORL Antolí-Candela, Madrid, Spain; Unidad de Otorrinolaringología, Fundación Hospital Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain; Otorrinolaringología,
Hospital Quirón, Madrid, Spain, Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp. 2007;58(9):426-33. This is a link to the article abstract.
Article: "How I Struggled with (PULSATILE) Tinnitus," The Story of Actor Graham Cole, Daily Mail Online, January 10, 2007.
Article: "I Got Lifesaving OP for Whooshing Thanks to US Help," David Powell, Daily Post UK, DPW West, Feb 19, 2013.
Article: "Vital Signs: An Unwelcome Ringing," by Dr. Christopher Linstrom, Discover Magazine, April 2010. (About a cured patient
with pulsatile tinnitus symptoms!)
Article: "Tinnitus Highlights Poor Doctor Patient Communication," Martin Young, MBChB, FCS(SA), Diagnosis and Treatment, KevinMd.Com,
November 2010.
Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus: Recent Advances in Diagnosis," Aristides Sismanis MD, Wendy R. K. Smoker, MD, The Laryngoscope,
Volume 104, Issue 6, pages 681-688, June 1994. ABSTRACT (Summary)
Article: "Neuroradiologic Assessment of Pulsatile Tinnitus," Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Loyola University
Medical Center, Maywood, IL: Dr Kircher and Dr Leonetti; Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Henry Ford Health
System, Detroit, MI: Dr Standring; Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery,
Chicago, IL. Sept. 22-24, 2008. (CLICKING THIS LINK WILL DOWNLOAD THE PDF FILE)
Article: "Imaging of Tinnitus: A Review," Jane L. Weissman, MD and Barry E. Hirsch, MD, Radiology, August 2000.
Article: "Imaging in Pulsatile Tinnitus," G. Madania and S.E.J. Connor, Clinical Radiology, Volume 64, Issue 3, Pages 319-328
(March 2009).
Article: "Imaging of the Patient With Tinnitus," Mary Beth Cunnane MD, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, December 31, 2013.
(NEW! Mentions Whooshers.com and PULSATILE tinnitus as well.)
Article: "Imaging of Pulsatile Tinnitus: A Review of 74 Patients," Guner Sonmez, C Cinar Basekim, Ersin Ozturk, Atilla Gungor,
Esref Kizilkaya, Clinical Imaging, Volume 31, Issue 2, Pages 102-108 (March 2007). (This is an abstract/summary-you have to
pay to see the article in its entirety)
Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus: A Review of 84 Patients," Daniel Waldvogel, Heinrich P. Mattle, Matthias Sturzenegger and Gerhard
Schroth, Journal of Neurology, Volume 245, Number 3, 137-142, DOI: 10.1007/s004150050193, November 12, 1997.
Article: "Role of Angiography in the Evaluation of Patients With Pulsatile Tinnitus," Edward J. Shin, MD; Anil K. Lalwani,
MD; Christopher F. Dowd, MD, Laryngoscope 110: November 2000. (PDF FILE)
Article: "Angioplasty and Stenting for Intractable Pulsatile Tinnitus Caused by Dural Venous Sinus Stenosis: A Case Series
Report," Li Baomin, Shi Yongbing, and Cao Xiangyu, Dept of Neurosurgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, Otol Neurotol.
35.366-370. Dec 2014.
Article: "CT Angiography as a Screening Tool for Dural Arteriovenous Fistula in Patients with Pulsatile Tinnitus: Feasibility
and Test Characteristics," J. Narvid, H.M. Do, N.H. Blevins and N.J. Fishbein, American Journal of Neuroradiology 32:446-453,
March 2011.
Article: "Brain Dural Arteriovenous Fistula (BDAVF)," Patient Information, www.NeuroAngio.org
Article: "Usefulness of C-Arm Cone-Beam Computed Tomography in Endovascular Treatment of Traumatic Carotid Cavernous Fistulas:
A Technical Case Report," Sato, Kenichi MD, PhD; Matsumoto, Yasushi MD; Kondo, Ryushi MD, PhD; Tominaga, Teiji MD, PhD, Neurosurgery:
August 2010 - Volume 67 - Issue 2 - p 467470.
Article (Abstract): "A Convenient Sonographic Technique for Diagnosis of Pulsatile Tinnitus Induced by a High Jugular Bulb,"
The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, Minoru Nakagawa, MD, Norimitsu Miyachi, MLT and Kenjiro Fujiwara, MD, Department
of Neurosurgery (M.N., K.F.) and Clinical Laboratory (N.M.), Kosei General Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan, J Ultrasound Med 27:139-140
0278-4297, 2008.
Article: "Surgical Treatment of the High Jugular Bulb in Patients with Ménières Disease and Pulsatile Tinnitus," V. Couloigner,
A. Bozorg Grayeli, D. Bouccara, N. Julien and O. Sterkers, European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Volume 256, Number 5,
224-229, DOI: 10.1007/s004050050146 (ABSTRACT)
Article: "Brain AVM," (arteriovenous malformation), MayoClinic.com
Article: "Chiari Malformation," MayoClinic.com
Article: "Ménière's Disease," National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Article: "TMJ Disorders," MayoClinic.com
Article: "Anemia," American Society of Hematology, Hemotology.org
Article: "Pseudotumor Cerebri," (also called Benign Intracranial Hypertension) MayoClinic.com
Article: "Pulse-Synchronous Tinnitus," The Intracranial Hypertension Research Foundation
Article: "Coarctation of the Aorta," MayoClinic.com
Article: "Man Cured of Hearing His Eyeballs Move," www.bbc.co.uk, July 27, 2011. Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome (SCDS)
Article: "Diagnosis and Cure of Venous Hum Tinnitus," Laryngoscope, Chandler JR, 93(7):892-5, July 1983.
Article: (Abstract) "Sinus Wall Reconstruction for Sigmoid Sinus Diverticulum and Dehiscence: A Standardized Surgical Procedure
for a Range of Radiographic Findings," Dr. DJ Eisenman, Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University
of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Otology Neurotology, 32(7):1116-9; September 2011.
Article: (Abstract) "Awake Embolization of Sigmoid Sinus Diverticulum Causing Pulsatile Tinnitus: Simultaneous Confirmative
Diagnosis and Treatment," Park YH, Kwon HJ, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chungnam National University
School of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Interv Neuroradiol. 2011 Sep;17(3):376-9. Epub 2011 Oct 17. (NEW!)
Article: "A New Therapeutic Procedure for Treatment of Objective Venous Pulsatile Tinnitus," Sanchez TG, Murao M, Medeiros
HRT, Kii M, Bento RF, Caldas JG, et al. Int Tinnitus J. 2002;8(1):54-57.
Article: "Glomus Tympanicum," The New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 362:e66, Number 22, June 3, 2010.
Article: "Resolution of Pulsatile Tinnitus Following an Upper Mediastinal Lymph Node Resection," Wang YZ, Boudreaux JP, Campeau
RJ, Woltering EA, South Med J. 2010 Apr;103(4):374-7.
Article: (Abstract) "Dissection of the Internal Carotid Artery After SCUBA-Diving: A Case Report and Review of the Literature,"
Franz Hafner, MD,* Thomas Gary, MD,* Froehlich Harald, MD,* Ernst Pilger,* Reinhard Groell, PD,w and Marianne, Brodmann* "Neurologist.
17(2):79-82, March 2011. (NEW!)
Article: "Carotid-Cavernous Sinus Fistula," Bobby S. Korn, M.D., Ph.D., and Kang Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., N Engl J Med 2011; 364:e15,
February, 24, 2011. (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES)
Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus Cured by Mastoidectomy," Duvillard C, Ballester M, Redon E, Romanet P., Department of Otolaryngology-Head
and Neck Surgery, Hôpital Général, Dijon, France, Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol, September 2004.
Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus: A Symptom of Chronic Subclavian Artery Occlusion," Marcio Francisco Lehmann, Charbel Mounayer,
Goetz Benndorf, Michel Piotin, and Jacques Moret, AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 26:19601963, September 2005 (PDF).
Article: "Carotid Endarterectomy Relieves Pulsatile Tinnitus Associated with Severe Ipsilateral Carotid Stenosis," J Kirkby-Bott,
H.H Gibbs, European Journal of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery, Volume 27, Issue 6, Pages 651-653, June 2004.
Article: "MR Angiography Imaging of Absence Vertebral Artery Causing of Pulsatile Tinnitus: A Case Report," *Mehmet Cudi Tuncer;
**Yekta Helbest Akgül & *Özlen Karabulut,* Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Dicle University, 21280, Diyarbak¹r, Turkey.**
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Özel Diyarbakr Hospital, 21100, Diyarbakr, Turkey, International Journal of Morphology,
v.28 n.2 Temuco Jun. 2010."
Article: "Endovascular Treatment of Sigmoid Sinus Aneurysm Presenting as Devastating Pulsatile Tinnitus. A Case Report and
Review of Literature." Mehanna R, Shaltoni H. Morsi H, Mawad M., Interv Neuroradiol. 2010 Dec;16(4):451-4. Epub 2010 Dec 17.
"Pulsatile Tinnitus Caused by an Aneurysm of the Transverse-Sigmoid Sinus: A New Case Report and Review of Literature," Lenck
S, Mosimann PJ, Labeyrie MA, Houdart E., Department of Neuroradiology, hôpital Lariboisière, 2, rue Ambroise-Paré, 75010 Paris,
France, J Neuroradiol. 2012 Oct;39(4):276-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neurad.2012.02.001. Epub 2012 Sep 29. (NEW!)
Article: "Intractable Tinnitus and Sensorineural Deafness Cured by Surgical Correction of Coarctation of Aorta," S. Rathinam,
A.M. Pettigrew, J.C.S. Pollack, Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery 3:431-433 (2004).
Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus," Don McFerran FRCS Consultant Otolaryngologist Essex County Hospital, Colchester, British Tinnitus
Association, October 2007.
Article: "Pulsatile Tinnitus and Dural Arteriovenous Malformation (Dural AVM)," G. A. J. Morrison, The Journal of Laryngology
& Otology (1989), 103:1073-1075 Cambridge University Press (ABSTRACT).
Article: "Medical Mystery: Giving Birth Didn't Ease a Woman's Dangerous Hypertenstion," Sandra G. Boodman, The Washington
Post, October 17, 2011.
Article: "That Noise Wasn't Just Tinnitus," Sandra G. Boodman, Special to The Washington Post, July 7, 2009
Article: "What's That Noise In Her?" H. Lee Kagan, Discovery Magazine, January 2006. (About a patient with arteriovenous malformation
(AVM) and her doctor whose patience and persistence paid off).
Article: "The 'Rare' Disease That Isn't," Thomas M. Burton, The Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2009
Article: "Diseases and Conditions/ Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD)," Cleveland Clinic. Lists symptoms, details, treatments,
and resources including Whooshers.com.
Article: Unraveling Pulsatile Tinnitus in FMD: A Report of the United States Registry For Fibromuscular Dysplasia."
Video: "A Rare Disease That May Be Underdiagnosed," Thomas M. Burton, June 26, 2009 (Hear an example of a whooshing sound
in this short video)
Whooshers.com Pulsatile Tinnitus Sounds (Real Ones Recorded by Real Whooshers!)
Audio: Having trouble describing the sound you hear to others? Listen to this collection of sounds that whoosh and see if
you can find a match to yours! Demonstrations: Heart Sounds & Murmurs, from the University of Washington Department of Medicine
Whooshers.com Review: SleepPhones- Soft, comfortable headphones to help mask the whoosh for a good night's sleep.