Is weird heartbeat sound in ear serious?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have pressure in my ears. I can hear some weird beating-like sounds in my left ear. It stops when I place my fingers on my neck.

Kindly help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understand your concern.

Your condition is called pulsatile tinnitus. This pulsating sound in the ear is synonymous with a heartbeat or arterial pulse. The sound stops when pressed on the neck because the blood flow to the ear is slowed when the neck is pressed, as the blood vessels run through the neck. There are multiple causes of such symptoms:

Hyperdynamic circulation in case of anemia or hyperthyroidism.
Vascular mass in the middle ear, like glomus tympanicum.
Vascular malformations.
More than usual proximity of the carotid artery and cochlea in the middle ear.

You need to get a few tests done. It includes the following:

Pure tone audiometry (PTA).
Complete blood count.
Thyroid profile.
CT (computed tomography) scan of the temporal bone.
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the temporal bone and neck, if there is a finding in the CT scan.

Revert in case of doubts or any other concerns.

Thank you.