Phonocephalography is a simple, passive non-invasive diagnostic technique in tinnitus and cerebral angiology.

Pulsatile tinnitus may occur in hypertension, haemodynamic disorders, or extracranial and intracranial vascular abnormalities. It is ignored by otologists and neurologists. Phonocephalography is the amplification and recording of sounds from the surface and cavities of the head. In this case report, the technique of phonocephalography was used to records these sounds and the tinnitus in a case of surgace cerebral angioma.

Hearing results are presented for 164 ears with chronic otitis media which were operated on radically and obliterated with a musculo-periosteal flap (Palva flap), and in which tympanoplasty was performed. The ears were followed-up annualy for 5–13 years (mean 6.8 years). Results are compared with the method of ossiculoplasty and with the condition of the stapes superstructure at operation. Ossiculoplasty using autogenous cortical bone columellas resulted in a somewhat greater improvement in the post-operative air-bone gap than ossiculoplasty with auto- or homo-graft ossicles, when compared wih the pre-operative gap. Similarly, the post-operative gap improved more in ears with an intact stapes superstructure than in ears in which the stapes superstructure was absent. The use of an autogenous cortical bone columella can be recommended in cases in which the patient's own ossicles are affected by disease and cannot be used.

Traditional healers in Nigeria attempt to treat tonsillar infections either by performing unulectomy with a sickle knife or by digital rupture of the tonsil. These procedures result in various complications, including haemorrhage, septicaemia, cellulitis of the neck, peritonsillar and parapharyngeal abscess, upper airway obstruction, and pharyngo-larygocele with pneumothorax. These complications are illustrated with case reports. The danger of encouraging traditional healers to practise unsupervised and unscientific medicine is stressed.

Phonocephalography is the amplification and recording of sounds from the surface and cavities of the head. It is on trial for a simple, passive non-invasive diagnostic technique in tinnitus and intracranial angiology. This article presents the recordings of normal phonocephalography, i.e. the recording of normal sounds in the head.

This article presents the phonocephalographic data reported in one case of glomus jugulare tumour, representing local haemodynamic disturbances; and one case with an aortic lesion with pulsating tinnitus, representing systemic haemodynamic disturbances.