Diagnostic utility of magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography in the radiological evaluation of pulsatile tinnitus

AimOur aim was to assess the diagnostic utility of magnetic resonance imaging with complimentary magnetic resonance angiography (MRI/MRA) in the radiological evaluation of patients with pulsatile tinnitus (PT).Materials and MethodsThe present study was retrospectively conducted on 27 patients with pulsatile tinnitus. All patients showed normal otoscopic findings and were evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with complimentary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), 9/27 (33.3%) patients were investigated by CT, and 12/27 (44.4%) were evaluated by angiography. All patients’ clinical investigation was reviewed to discard systemic causes of PT.ResultsAll hard copies of MRI/MRA studies were evaluated. MRI/MRA detected the underlying etiology of subjective pulsatile tinnitus (PT) in 11/27 patients (40.7%), and 16/27 patients (59.5%) showed normal MRI/MRA examination. The most common cause was dural arteriovenous malformation (AFM) in 4/27 (14.8%) patients, high jugular bulbus in 2/27 (7.4%), aneurysm of internal carotid artery in 1/27 (3.7%), aberrant internal carotid artery in 1/27 (3.7%), vertebral artery hypoplasia in 2/27 (7.4%), and glomus tumor in 1/27 (3.7%). The statistical results of the present study showed that MRI/MRA had the following: 80% sensitivity, 88% specificity, 86% accuracy, 85% PPV, 83% NPV, and 15% error percentage for diagnosis of PT.ConclusionMRI/MRA was an effective radiological imaging method in detecting the underlying pathology of pulsatile tinnitus. Magnetic resonance may be considered a first line diagnostic imaging modality in the assessment of subjective pulsatile tinnitus.