[Tinnitus and its radiological diagnosis and therapy]

Tinnitus is a familiar symptom in diseases of the central nervous system. Its aetiology being of a varied nature, the type of tinnitus is a pointer to the pathoanatomic findings that are responsible for the disease. The causes of tinnitus are often found in the borderline areas between various neighbouring disciplines, such as otology, neurology and neurosurgery, whereas the final identification of the real causes is mainly within the scope of radiological diagnosis, in which computed tomography and superselective angiography play an essential role. In addition to arteriovenous fistulas near the petrous bone and glomus tumours, which are well known, there are a few other aetiologies of pulse-synchronous tinnitus that are being discussed in this paper. In recent years there has been substantial therapeutical progress owing to the introduction of new techniques and the development of improved materials for embolisation in interventional neuroradiology. Their application is discussed in connection with various patient groups.