Outcomes of Pulsatile Tinnitus after Cerebral Venous Sinus Stenting: Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis of 616 Patients

Pulsatile tinnitus (PT) is a debilitating condition with substantial morbidity related to quality of life. Cerebral venous sinus stenosis has recently emerged as a non-infrequent cause of PT, either in the setting of concurrent idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) or due to primary venous stenosis. Venous sinus stenting (VSS) is an endovascular technique that can be used to treat venous stenosis. However, it is unclear if outcomes are different between patients with primary venogenic PT and IIH associated PT. A systematic literature review and pooled analysis was completed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of PT in patients undergoing cerebral VSS. Outcome measures included: Improved PT, complete resolution of PT, PT recurrence at follow up. Subgroup analysis between patients with IIH and primary PT was completed. In total, 28 studies were identified with 616 patients. The proportion of improved PT symptoms after VSS had an overall pooled rate of 91.7% (CI:88.1%-95.2%; I2=65%) and no difference between subgroups (P=0.12). Complete resolution after VSS had an overall pooled rate of 88.6% (CI:84.0%-93.3%; I2=68%) and no significant difference between subgroups (P=0.35). Recurrent PT after stenting occurred in 6.5% of cases (CI:1.7%-11.3%; I2=62%). Furthermore, subgroup analysis demonstrated that IIH patients had a significantly higher recurrence rate (10.6%; CI:5.2%-16.1%; I2=26%) compared to patients treated with venous stenting for PT as the primary indication (2.0%; CI:0.8%-4.7%; I2=0%) (P<0.0001). Venous stenting in patients with pulsatile tinnitus results in a substantial decrease and often complete resolution of symptoms. PT is more likely to recur in patients with IIH-associated PT.