Venous Hum Tinnitus

Abstract

Venous hum tinnitus is an uncommon but treatable cause of objective tinnitus. Ligation of the internal jugular vein has been described with favorable results when the tinnitus is loud enough to disturb sleep or hearing. Careful history and physical examination is helpful in establishing the diagnosis, but other causes should be excluded prior to ligation. Angiography is indicated to rule out other anomalies and establish patency of the contralateral jugular vein. We describe two cases of venous hum tinnitus treated by ligation of the jugular vein.