Common Symptoms of Pulsatile Tinnitus

Pulsatile tinnitus is a rare type of tinnitus. Tinnitus, ringing in the ears, can occur with a wide range of hearing conditions and ear injuries. With pulsatile tinnitus, though, patients will experience a whooshing or thumping sound in one or two ears that appears to move to a steady drumbeat. Pulsatile tinnitus is related to regular tinnitus in that it involves the perception of sound other individuals don't hear. However, unlike normal tinnitus, patients are hearing sounds from inside their own body. Doctors can sometimes hear the sounds if they use a stethoscope to listen. Other names for the condition include pulse-synchronous, vascular, or rhythmic tinnitus. Most cases of pulsatile tinnitus are caused by a specific health issue like irregular blood vessels.