Symptoms felt in the ear
Pulsatile Tinnitus
Related terms: Pulsatile tinnitus, hearing the sound of the heartbeat in the ears
Pulsatile tinnitus is a type of tinnitus where you hear thumping or whooshing sounds in sync with your heartbeat. Unlike general continuous tinnitus, a medical evaluation to identify the cause may be necessary.
Meaning and Distinctions
What is pulsatile tinnitus?
We check whether it is in one ear or both, if it matches your pulse exactly, and if it is accompanied by headaches, changes in vision, or neurological symptoms. Pulsatile tinnitustinnitus is a type of tinnitus where you hear thumping or whooshing sounds in sync with your heartbeat. Unlike general continuous-tone tinnitus, medical evaluation to identify the cause may be necessary.
- Easily confused terms
- The medical evaluation process may differ from tinnitus that is unrelated to the pulse, such as ringing or buzzing sounds.
- Why this is checked during medical evaluation
- Vascular-related causes are checked first, followed by addressing difficulties with sleep and concentration.
- What to note down for your visit
- Please provide a short recording of the sound's rhythm or let us know if it matches your wrist pulse.
Dizziness, Ear, Head, and Face Glossary
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Check guides where this term is used
- Condition GuideTinnitusTinnitus is the sensation of hearing ringing, buzzing, hissing, clicking, pulsating, or music-like sounds in one or both ears or the head when there is no external sound. The sound can be low or high pitched, soft or loud, and may be intermittent or continuous. For some, the sound changes when moving the head, neck, and eyes or touching specific parts of the body. It can be more prominent in a quiet room at night, affecting sleep, concentration, and mood. Do not treat sounds that match the heartbeat, sudden hearing loss, facial weakness, rotational vertigo, or sounds starting after head trauma as general tinnitus; seek prompt medical evaluation.→
- Condition GuideEar fullnessA feeling of fullness in the ear is common when Eustachian tube ventilation is blocked after a cold, rhinitis, or allergies, or when pressure changes during flights or diving; however, earwax, otitis media, TMJ, Meniere's disease, and sudden sensorineural hearing loss can also be causes. In particular, if sudden hearing change in one ear or new tinnitus/dizziness occurs, please receive an ENT evaluation on the same day. Even if the fullness decreases first, if tinnitus or instability remains, do not assume they recovered at the same rate; record the start and end times of each symptom separately.→
- Medical Evaluation GuideWhat are the differences between BPPV, Meniere's disease, and vestibular migraine?If a sensation of spinning lasts from a few seconds to around 1 minute and recurs when turning over or lifting your head, it helps in identifying BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). If dizziness lasting from tens of minutes to several hours occurs alongside changes in hearing in one ear, tinnitus, or a feeling of fullness in the ear, we check for Meniere's disease; if there is sensitivity to light, sound, and movement, or a history of migraines, even without a current headache, we check for vestibular migraine. We differentiate these by matching symptoms with hearing tests, nystagmus observation, neurological examinations, and changes over time.→
- Head, Ear, and Face ColumnWhat should be evaluated first when tinnitus, a feeling of fullness in the ears, and hearing loss occur together?→
Evidence and Update Information
The following materials were referenced to verify the basis and scope of the definitions and treatment descriptions.