Pulsatile Tinnitus Post Gamma Knife

[kentcorbin]

Hi everyone. I'm almost 5 months post Gamma Knife at Cleveland Clinic. I have been meaning to post an update, as my results have been very positive so far. In fact, I have had no real side effects to speak of...yet. (I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but so far so good.) The one new symptom I am experiencing is pulsatile tinnitus (the whooshing in time with my heartbeat kind). After searching, I cannot confirm that this is a recognized symptom of either AN or Gamma Knife treatment. (In one thread I just looked at, OP's doctor's insisted that her pulsatile tinnitus was purely coincidental and unrelated to her AN.) What do you guys think? I'm wondering because I have also heard that pulsatile tinnitus can indicate vascular problems. If it is unlikely that the whooshing is related to my AN, I should probably get it checked to rule out vascular problems, yes?

Edit: I should note that the pulsatile tinnitus is on the same side as my AN (and only on that side). And also that I'm very aware that ANs can cause the traditional ringing kind of tinnitus (which I also have). This pulsatile "whooshing" tinnitus is new though, and it seems far less well established that ANs cause THIS kind of tinnitus. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Kent

[darcys]

I had GK at Mayo 6/2015.  I have had 3-4 episodes of pulsatile tinnitus over the past few months. Although it is usually of a short duration (5 minutes?) it stops me in my tracks and I am unable to concentrate on anything else until it passes.  Like you, I researched to see if it was a typical side effect of GK, but was unable to find many references to it.  My local otolaryngologist is less than helpful when it comes to answering these types of questions. My overall tinnitus level increased about 3 months after GK, with no signs of slowing down.

[Director]

Kent- tinnitus can come in many forms with AN. We have heard of other AN patients with the type you describe.
Allison, ANA