AIM: Our 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 METHODS: The 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. RESULTS: All 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. CONCLUSION: MRI/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.
AIM: Our 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 METHODS: The 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. RESULTS: All 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. CONCLUSION: MRI/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.
Authors: Ektor Tsuneo Onishi; Cláudia Couto de Barros Coelho; Jeanne Oiticica; Ricardo Rodrigues Figueiredo; Rita de Cassia Cassou Guimarães; Tanit Ganz Sanchez; Adriana Lima Gürtler; Alessandra Ramos Venosa; André Luiz Lopes Sampaio; Andreia Aparecida Azevedo; Anna Paula Batista de Ávila Pires; Bruno Borges de Carvalho Barros; Carlos Augusto Costa Pires de Oliveira; Clarice Saba; Fernando Kaoru Yonamine; Ítalo Roberto Torres de Medeiros; Letícia Petersen Schmidt Rosito; Marcelo José Abras Rates; Márcia Akemi Kii; Mariana Lopes Fávero; Mônica Alcantara de Oliveira Santos; Osmar Clayton Person; Patrícia Ciminelli; Renata de Almeida Marcondes; Ronaldo Kennedy de Paula Moreira; Sandro de Menezes Santos Torres Journal: Braz J Otorhinolaryngol Date: 2017-12-24