Pulsatile tinnitus from reversal of flow in an aberrant occipital artery: Resolved after carotid artery stenting

Abstract

Carotid artery stent placement, performed for correction of an asymptomatic severe stenosis, leads to the resolution of persistent and troublesome pulsatile tinnitus. Tinnitus has been reported as a consequence of severe carotid stenoses on previous occasions. This case highlights how an aberrant occipital artery originating above a carotid artery stenosis can result in flow reversal and be a mechanism by which tinnitus may develop.