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Hi There, I Wanted To Ask A Question About Pulsating

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Posted on Sat, 4 May 2019
Question: Hi there,

i wanted to ask a question about pulsating in a spot on my head. Its on the left side. Im not worried about tumor, i had an MRI 1 year ago and it was clear. But there was no contrast used. Im wondering should i be worried about a vein in my brain about to burst. It is not painful, and happened once 3 months ago and again recently. Only lasts about 15 mins. And there is no sensitivity on my scalp.

Reagrds
XXXXXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dariush Saghafi (4 hours later)
Brief Answer:
No worries for any problems having to do with veins in the brain :)

Detailed Answer:
Good morning from XXXXXXX OH once again.....It must be TOMORROW over on the other side of the globe by now! HA!

Seems like you were in the midst of providing a couple more pieces of information to your original question whilst I was actually working on the answer with the information on why you should have nothing to worry about with the small pulsating spot. But now, you gave me a chance to find you another very cool picture to send you which would allow you to literally FIND THE SPOT on your head that's been pulsating and take an EDUCATED guess as to exactly which artery could be the one doing the dance inside your scalp.

As I said in my other response which perhaps you've read by now....you have nothing to worry about with respect to the pulsating spot on your head. It is not (and cannot be) representative of a "vein" ready to pop in the brain for all the anatomical reasons I discussed in that other little explanation.

Now, take a look at this picture so you can see why this is a case a bit more clearly. What you'll see is a little roadmap of the major arterial pathways that crisscross the scalp. Actually, 1/2 of the diagram shows the arterial arcade while the other half shows the NERVES that innervate the scalp for sensation and so forth. Obviously, as far as the vasculature is concerned, what happens on one half of the head should be replicated by symmetry on the other half.

Therefore, if you can identify the spot on your head where this is all happening you could literally mark the area with something (maybe a piece of colored tape or other easily identifiable landmark, have someone take a photograph of the TOP of your head, try to clear off as much hair as possible where the mark is located and then, use the diagram to locate which artery may be the one to be beating.

This artery is not involved with or related to any type of brain perfusion or blood supply to the brain...it is clearly OUTSIDE the brain and therefore, the beating or pulsatile quality, no matter what the cause may be will not affect brain function in the least.

Here is the diagram...check it out:

https://img.medscapestatic.com/pi/meds/ckb/48/24448.jpg

As to what the pulsation represents? If you had an episode 3 months ago and another one more recently and both instances were NONPAINFUL and otherwise uneventful instances I wouldn't worry any further about them. Sometimes when people complain of pulsatile spots on the head they are in the context of headaches or migraines. However, that's not your case so it's going to be hard to pinpoint an exact reason or cause to why one small littler artery decided to beat a bit stronger than the others. Perhaps, you were stressed about something, upset, angry, frustrated, or EVEN someone surprised you with something wonderful such as a check for a million $$$, a belated Valentine's Day gift (do you celebrate that date in Australia??..Ha!)....So, for any number of reasons things could cause the area to pulsate but then, if it quiets down it means whatever the stimulus was subsided and we're back to normal.

Next time that happens see if you can recap what just went on with you in the previous 30-60 min. before things starting beating away....and how long it lasted, and whether it just slowly subsided or if it just TURNED OFF like a light switch. If you can figure out a pattern of what's going on in your environment at the time these things happen you may discover the cause.

Once again, if the information provided was helpful to answer your questions could you be a gem and CLOSE THE CURRENT QUESTION with a few brief comments of your thoughts and maybe a 5-star prize if you're feeling a bit generous! Lemme knows what's up by dropping me a line at www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi and how this situation evolves.

Cheers once again Miss XXXXXXX and hoping you had a pleasant yesterday which would be my today and even a better tomorrow which is EONS away for me! LOL

This query required 88 minutes of professional time to research, assimilate, and file a response.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Dariush Saghafi

Neurologist

Practicing since :1988

Answered : 2473 Questions

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Hi There, I Wanted To Ask A Question About Pulsating

Brief Answer: No worries for any problems having to do with veins in the brain :) Detailed Answer: Good morning from XXXXXXX OH once again.....It must be TOMORROW over on the other side of the globe by now! HA! Seems like you were in the midst of providing a couple more pieces of information to your original question whilst I was actually working on the answer with the information on why you should have nothing to worry about with the small pulsating spot. But now, you gave me a chance to find you another very cool picture to send you which would allow you to literally FIND THE SPOT on your head that's been pulsating and take an EDUCATED guess as to exactly which artery could be the one doing the dance inside your scalp. As I said in my other response which perhaps you've read by now....you have nothing to worry about with respect to the pulsating spot on your head. It is not (and cannot be) representative of a "vein" ready to pop in the brain for all the anatomical reasons I discussed in that other little explanation. Now, take a look at this picture so you can see why this is a case a bit more clearly. What you'll see is a little roadmap of the major arterial pathways that crisscross the scalp. Actually, 1/2 of the diagram shows the arterial arcade while the other half shows the NERVES that innervate the scalp for sensation and so forth. Obviously, as far as the vasculature is concerned, what happens on one half of the head should be replicated by symmetry on the other half. Therefore, if you can identify the spot on your head where this is all happening you could literally mark the area with something (maybe a piece of colored tape or other easily identifiable landmark, have someone take a photograph of the TOP of your head, try to clear off as much hair as possible where the mark is located and then, use the diagram to locate which artery may be the one to be beating. This artery is not involved with or related to any type of brain perfusion or blood supply to the brain...it is clearly OUTSIDE the brain and therefore, the beating or pulsatile quality, no matter what the cause may be will not affect brain function in the least. Here is the diagram...check it out: https://img.medscapestatic.com/pi/meds/ckb/48/24448.jpg As to what the pulsation represents? If you had an episode 3 months ago and another one more recently and both instances were NONPAINFUL and otherwise uneventful instances I wouldn't worry any further about them. Sometimes when people complain of pulsatile spots on the head they are in the context of headaches or migraines. However, that's not your case so it's going to be hard to pinpoint an exact reason or cause to why one small littler artery decided to beat a bit stronger than the others. Perhaps, you were stressed about something, upset, angry, frustrated, or EVEN someone surprised you with something wonderful such as a check for a million $$$, a belated Valentine's Day gift (do you celebrate that date in Australia??..Ha!)....So, for any number of reasons things could cause the area to pulsate but then, if it quiets down it means whatever the stimulus was subsided and we're back to normal. Next time that happens see if you can recap what just went on with you in the previous 30-60 min. before things starting beating away....and how long it lasted, and whether it just slowly subsided or if it just TURNED OFF like a light switch. If you can figure out a pattern of what's going on in your environment at the time these things happen you may discover the cause. Once again, if the information provided was helpful to answer your questions could you be a gem and CLOSE THE CURRENT QUESTION with a few brief comments of your thoughts and maybe a 5-star prize if you're feeling a bit generous! Lemme knows what's up by dropping me a line at www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi and how this situation evolves. Cheers once again Miss XXXXXXX and hoping you had a pleasant yesterday which would be my today and even a better tomorrow which is EONS away for me! LOL This query required 88 minutes of professional time to research, assimilate, and file a response.