Pulsatile Tinnitus with an Intracranial Vascular Lesion Detected by MR Angiography; Two Case Reports

Abstract

Pulsatile tinnitus or cardiac synchronous sound is a rare symptom, but it is often due to an intracranial vascular lesion. We report two patients with pulsatile tinnitus, one was objective, in that it was detected by the examiner, with a dural arteriovenous fistula and the other was subjective, in that it was heard only by the patient, with a constriction or obstruction of the posterior cerebral artery. These lesions were detected by MR angiography. MR angiography is less invasive compared with selective X-ray angiography, and may be useful for the screening examination of pulsatile tinnitus.