Doppler sonography of vertebral arteries in patients with tinnitus.

The accuracy and the reliability of extracranial vertebral artery Doppler flow for the detection of the possible cause of the tinnitus was studied prospectively and Doppler findings were compared with controls. Vertebral artery measurements have been made in 28 patients (56 vertebral arteries) with tinnitus and 12 sex- and age-matched controls. Maximal flow velocity and mean flow velocity were measured and total vertebral artery flow was calculated by adding flows from the right and left sides. When compared with each other and controls, there was significant difference with respect to mean flow velocities of the right and left vertebral arteries in the patients with tinnitus (p < or = 0.05), and also total mean flow velocity between patients with tinnitus and controls (p < or = 0.05). It has been concluded that Doppler sonography gave useful information on the vertebral artery flow in patients with tinnitus.