Mumbai doctors cure Jalgaon woman suffering from rare "whooshing" tinnitus 

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Doctors in Mumbai have finally given relief to a 25-year-old woman from Jalgaon in Maharashtra, who was suffering from a persistent, heartbeat-synchronous “whooshing” sound in her ear for over five years, with a minimally invasive procedure The woman’s case highlights how identifying an underlying vascular cause can help patients with persistent pulsatile tinnitus receive effective treatment after years of uncertainty.

The woman had been experiencing a constant whooshing sound that synchronised with her heartbeat. Despite consulting several doctors and undergoing multiple tests and treatments over the years, she continued to experience the distressing symptom without lasting relief. She eventually travelled to Mumbai and sought treatment at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre.

At the hospital, a multidisciplinary team comprising neurologist Dr Fali Poncha, endovascular neurosurgeon Dr. Sudheer Ambekar, and haematologist Dr. Samir Shah evaluated her condition. The MRI and MRV investigations revealed venous sinus stenosis, a significant narrowing in one of the major veins responsible for draining blood from the brain. The narrowing was causing turbulent blood flow, which was perceived by the patient as the rhythmic “whooshing” sound in her ear.

The woman underwent a minimally invasive venous sinus stenting procedure, in which a stent was guided through the blood vessels to the site of narrowing to widen the vein and restore normal blood flow. Remarkably, the pulsatile tinnitus disappeared immediately after the stent was deployed, providing her with relief from a symptom she had experienced for more than five years.

“This condition is frequently misdiagnosed or dismissed as anxiety or stress, causing patients to suffer for years without answers. In cases like this, where a structural vascular cause exists, targeted treatment can resolve symptoms almost instantly. The procedure involves a puncture through one of the veins in the groin, through which a catheter is advanced all the way to the narrowed area in the brain before deploying the stent. Thankfully, because of the minimally invasive nature of the procedure, she could be discharged within two days,” said Dr Ambekar.

Pulsatile tinnitus is an uncommon form of tinnitus in which patients hear a rhythmic sound, often described as a “whooshing” or “thumping” noise, that typically synchronises with their heartbeat. While tinnitus affects approximately 14.4 per cent of adults globally, pulsatile tinnitus is considerably less common and generally accounts for less than 10 per cent of tinnitus cases. In one large tertiary otology series, pulsatile tinnitus was reported in just 0.09 per cent of all new otology patients. There is currently no reliable population-level estimate for severe or intractable pulsatile tinnitus, as most studies report on pulsatile tinnitus cohorts rather than defining intractable cases separately.

“Pulsatile tinnitus deserves thorough evaluation rather than being brushed aside. This case is a reminder that persistent, unexplained symptoms can sometimes have a treatable cause, and patients should not lose hope after being told that ‘nothing is wrong,’” said Dr Poncha.

The successful treatment highlights the importance of recognizing pulsatile tinnitus as a symptom that warrants medical evaluation, particularly when the sound is persistent and synchronises with the heartbeat. For people who continue to experience unexplained pulsatile tinnitus despite previous consultations, identifying the underlying cause can be an important step towards appropriate treatment and relief.