A familial case series of refractory head noise, tinnitus, and sleep disorders caused by internal jugular vein stenosis: illustrative cases.

BACKGROUND: The authors report a rare familial case series of 3 patients with internal jugular vein stenosis (IJVS). These patients presented primarily with head noise, tinnitus, or sleep disorders, respectively. OBSERVATIONS: After other possible causes were excluded, novel surgical interventions were performed. These included grinding the atlas transverse process, opening the carotid sheath, and decompressing the internal jugular vein (IJV). Postoperatively, the patients demonstrated significant clinical improvement in their symptoms. Imaging and other auxiliary examinations suggest significant improvement of the stenosed IJV compared with the preoperative condition. LESSONS: These cases imply that IJVS may be a significant factor leading to head noise, tinnitus, and sleep disorders. IJV decompression demonstrates marked efficacy and represents a novel approach for alleviating such symptoms. Familial clustering of IJVS deserves attention and requires further research. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE25693.