The head is beating like a heart

If you feel your head beating like your heart, it means that there is a certain abnormality in the blood circulation in the brain. At this time, it is best to go to the hospital for examination. In most cases, it is related to psychological emotions, excessive fatigue, or excessive exercise. Of course, you should also be alert to the problem of vascular malformations. Once vascular malformations occur, you should check it in time and take appropriate methods to treat it. Let us briefly understand this aspect below.

The head beats like a heart

In this case, the first thing we consider is that it is caused by intracranial vascular malformations. Your worry is not unfounded. Arteriovenous malformations, aneurysms, etc. can all cause this situation, but the possibility of neurosis caused by other reasons cannot be ruled out. You should go to a regular neurology department for further examination and treatment, and undergo cerebral arteriography if necessary. Don't worry.

Causes

1. Arteriovenous malformation

It is divided into two types: typical and great vein of Galen malformation. In addition to space occupation and compression, blood steal is also an important cause of clinical symptoms. There is obvious intracranial vascular bruit. Hydrocephalus may occur in infancy. The mortality rate is very high, about 50% death. For those with a small blood shunt volume, heart failure is milder and there may be repeated transient hemiplegia. Treatment is difficult and staged surgery can be performed.

2. Congenital intracranial saccular aneurysm

It is less common in children. It mainly occurs at the bifurcation of the internal carotid artery at the base of the skull, the anterior and posterior communicating arteries, or the vertebral basilar artery. The local elastic layer and muscular layer of the artery become weakened and protrude into a tumor, which is usually less than 1 cm in size.

3. Venous hemangioma

It is relatively common, often occurring in the cerebral hemispheres, and is more common in older children. Neuroimaging shows vascular malformations ranging from 1 mm to several centimeters in diameter, about 15% of which have calcification.

4. Cavernous hemangioma

It is mostly found in the cerebral hemispheres and is densely packed with thin-walled blood vessels. It is often asymptomatic in childhood and is discovered incidentally. Symptoms usually appear in older children or adults, mainly epilepsy, headache, and cerebral hemorrhage. Common familial cases, dominant inheritance. Similar cavernous hemangiomas can also be seen in the retina, liver, kidney, and skin.

Clinical manifestations

1. Throbbing headache

Located on the affected side, may be accompanied by intracranial vascular bruits.

2. Bleeding

It is often the first symptom, manifested as subarachnoid hemorrhage or intracerebral hematoma.

3. Epilepsy

It may be the first symptom or occur after bleeding. It is usually a systemic or localized attack. Localized attacks have localization significance.

4. Associated symptoms

Patients with supratentorial lesions may have mental abnormalities, hemiplegia, aphasia, alexia, acalculia, etc. Those under the tentorium often experience dizziness, diplopia, nystagmus and unsteady gait.