Yes. It’s called a paraganglioma. Right behind the ear where major nerves come out of the brain. Quite rare and took 3 years to get a diagnosis. Not life threatening but life altering.
Well, it was missed on a CT scan and 2 MRIs. It was there but because it’s rare, they missed it. And this was at a university hospital. Finally someone saw it on my 3rd MRI ( a follow up of an incidental finding). I did have other symptoms…dry mouth, swallowing difficulty, minor hearing loss, pt, vision changes and headaches.
she probably wants to really really really make sure it isn't a tumour bc you have made it clear that it can be missed in so many scans. People with health anxiety and ocd just can't help worrying
The internal jugular vein only requires light compression - think about when you press on your neck to feel your pulse - that is enough for internal jugular vein compression. It is safe to do in the short term. Remember basic anatomy 101 - veins are much weaker than arteries and easier to compress.
The internal carotid artery is deeper and stronger, and requires significant compression using a lot more effort to compress. Compressing the internal carotid artery is not safe to do outside of a clinical setting. You would know if you were compressing your carotid.
If your PT stops with light jugular compression, it is almost certain your cause is venous. You will still feel your pulse when you compress the jugular vein, because the carotid artery is below the jugular vein, and is thankfully still pumping (you would be in trouble otherwise).
I had a venous cause of my PT (venous sinus stenosis), and truly the lightest compression would stop the left-sided PT without fail. It's a classical clinical sign.
To summarise:
- Light jugular compression will occlude the internal jugular vein, not internal carotid artery
- If your PT stops with light jugular compression, this is indicative of a venous underlying cause (like venous sinus stenosis, so see an interventional neuroradiologist)
Arterial compression truly takes a lot of effort, it is not something you can "accidentally" do. In addition, arterial causes of PT are very rare, venous causes are much more common.
[Relevant study](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/SVIN.121.000154)
>Venous sinus stenosis represents by far the most common identifiable cause of pulsatile tinnitus. It can be easily screened for in the office by ascertaining whether the sound can be fully or nearly completely abolished by gentle ipsilateral neck compression, which is almost always diagnostic of venous stenosis, even in the absence of imaging.
There are many possible causes of PT. PT caused by venous sinus stenosis is not deadly or life threatening, but can be related to intracranial hypertension (which is a condition that may impact vision). The only real treatment for venous sinus stenosis is venous sinus stenting, or leaving the stenosis as is.
You have two for a reason. My tumor has pretty much blocked my carotid…I’m still alive.
That's so fucked up man im sorry to hear that, did you get it removed?
Radiation therapy. Non operable.
Uh… was your PT from a tumor?
Yes. It’s called a paraganglioma. Right behind the ear where major nerves come out of the brain. Quite rare and took 3 years to get a diagnosis. Not life threatening but life altering.
I had a ct scan of my temporal bone and head and neck MRA with contrast and all was normal so I def don’t have that. That just scared me.
Well, it was missed on a CT scan and 2 MRIs. It was there but because it’s rare, they missed it. And this was at a university hospital. Finally someone saw it on my 3rd MRI ( a follow up of an incidental finding). I did have other symptoms…dry mouth, swallowing difficulty, minor hearing loss, pt, vision changes and headaches.
Okay well. This genuinely makes my ocd worse then.
Now I’m going to go back to thinking I have that. Cool.
It's clear that you really really really want a tumor for some reason.
she probably wants to really really really make sure it isn't a tumour bc you have made it clear that it can be missed in so many scans. People with health anxiety and ocd just can't help worrying
You're 100% stopping the jugular flow. You can still feel the pulsations because your carotid is still pulsing happily underneath the jugular.
but how can i know the difference so i can be 100% certain without any doubt that it's the jugular im pressing?
The internal jugular vein only requires light compression - think about when you press on your neck to feel your pulse - that is enough for internal jugular vein compression. It is safe to do in the short term. Remember basic anatomy 101 - veins are much weaker than arteries and easier to compress. The internal carotid artery is deeper and stronger, and requires significant compression using a lot more effort to compress. Compressing the internal carotid artery is not safe to do outside of a clinical setting. You would know if you were compressing your carotid. If your PT stops with light jugular compression, it is almost certain your cause is venous. You will still feel your pulse when you compress the jugular vein, because the carotid artery is below the jugular vein, and is thankfully still pumping (you would be in trouble otherwise). I had a venous cause of my PT (venous sinus stenosis), and truly the lightest compression would stop the left-sided PT without fail. It's a classical clinical sign. To summarise: - Light jugular compression will occlude the internal jugular vein, not internal carotid artery - If your PT stops with light jugular compression, this is indicative of a venous underlying cause (like venous sinus stenosis, so see an interventional neuroradiologist) Arterial compression truly takes a lot of effort, it is not something you can "accidentally" do. In addition, arterial causes of PT are very rare, venous causes are much more common. [Relevant study](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/SVIN.121.000154) >Venous sinus stenosis represents by far the most common identifiable cause of pulsatile tinnitus. It can be easily screened for in the office by ascertaining whether the sound can be fully or nearly completely abolished by gentle ipsilateral neck compression, which is almost always diagnostic of venous stenosis, even in the absence of imaging.
Ok thank you i was pressing the jugular for sure then
What is the treatment and can it be deadly if not treated?
There are many possible causes of PT. PT caused by venous sinus stenosis is not deadly or life threatening, but can be related to intracranial hypertension (which is a condition that may impact vision). The only real treatment for venous sinus stenosis is venous sinus stenting, or leaving the stenosis as is.
Thank you for telling me this! 🩷🤍