Tinnitus, an unusual hearing problem is found in various forms.
In Pulsatile tinnitus, a person experiences rhythmic sound that often corresponds to the heart beat.
It can be heard like a lower pitched thumbing and as a rough blowing sound that coincide with respiration.
In certain cases other people can also hear the sound.
The basic reason for tinnitus can be easily found out in this type of malfunction.
What causes Pulsatile Tinnitus? A change or disturbance in the blood flow in the blood vessels near the ear is supposed to be a cause for pulsatile tinnitus.
The large arteries and veins around the neck and smaller ones in the ear are the blood vessels that undergo alteration in flow due to various reasons.
During a strenuous exercise there is increased blood flow which makes sound and disturbance in arteries.
The flow of blood becomes turbulent due to atherosclerosis, a condition in which there is constriction and hardening of arteries.
The other cause of this disorder is the benign intracranial hypertension, a condition usually with headache and visual disturbance.
How Pulsatile Tinnitus Is Diagnosed Doctors can hear the sound using the stethoscope if the type of this disorder is objective.
The patients undergo detailed tests like ultrasound scanning, Doppler tests, MRI scanning and angiography.
Blood and thyroid tests are also conducted to find out any relation between these organs and the pulsatile tinnitus.
Since the disorder has direct link with heart beats, usually doctors check the blood pressure of the person to determine hypertention.
An evaluation of person's lifestyle, diet and weight are done before recommending any treatment.
How is It Treated? Investigations are carried out to find out any underlying cause.
If the reason is atherosclerosis or anaemia, the same should be checked first.
In other cases, standard tinnitus treatment methods are provided to reduce or stop the malfunction.
These include sound therapy, hearing aids, counseling, drug therapy and relaxation therapy.
The good news is that there are other ways to treat pulsatile tinnitus and not all of them require medication or invasive surgery.
For example, some people may find relief from using techniques such as yoga and acupuncture.
Whether these will work for a specific case depends on a number of factors though.
In some situations medical science may not be able to cure pulsatile tinnitus.
It's at this stage that alternative treatments should be considered and not ruled out.