Doppler ultrasonography in tinnitus patients.

Tinnitus can be functionally measured and localized through sensorimotor and neurosensory tests. According to our Neurofisiología Otooftalmológica data bank, 60% of patients requiring a consultation have a history of cardiocirculatory disorders. This figure has moved us to study cerebrovascular processes in those patients seeking consultation for a tinnitus symptom only. The sudden appearance of the tinnitus symptom alone independent of patient age, leads us to consider a pathology of vascular origin, which should be evaluated and treated immediately. A mistake or delay in the diagnosis could cause the symptom to become chronic, owing to the appearance of microlesions at any level of the auditory pathway, as has been demonstrated in former investigations.