Pituitary apoplexy presenting atypical time course of ophthalmic symptoms

Pituitary apoplexy is defined as a sudden loss of blood supply to the pituitary gland, leading to tissue necrosis and hemorrhage. Its clinical symptoms are characterized by sudden onset of headache, nausea, vomiting, ophthalmic symptoms and hormonal dysfunction. A 65-year-old woman presented with left-sided ptosis and blurred vision. These ophthalmic symptoms gradually worsened for one month without headache, visual acuity and field deficit. Neuro-ophthalmic examination revealed left oculomotor nerve palsy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a round mass lesion in the left cavernous sinus, which was initially suspected as thrombosed cerebral aneurysm or hemorrhagic Rathke's cleft cyst. The mass lesion was finally diagnosed as pituitary apoplexy. The patient underwent trans-sphenoidal surgery and oculomotor nerve palsy improved after the surgery. Early diagnosis and treatment including surgical decompression are crucially important in patients with oculomotor nerve palsy in pituitary apoplexy, but the symptoms of pituitary apoplexy may slowly progress. It should be noted that pituitary apoplexy could be misdiagnosed as cerebral aneurysm or Rathke's cleft cyst.     

Emergency department presentation of pituitary apoplexy

Pituitary apoplexy is an acute infarction of pituitary gland, and potentially life-threatening condition that may be highly variable in its clinical presentation. We report a 54-year-old man presenting to the emergency department with an isolated oculomotor nerve palsy. Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed an isodense mass within sellar region and subsequently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a pituitary apoplexy causing a compression of right oculomotor nerve. The patient received hydrocortisone immediately, and did well with medical management. An isolated oculomotor nerve palsy is very rarely the presenting sign of pituitary apoplexy. When correctly diagnosed and treated, the third nerve palsy appears to be reversible. A pathophysiology, differential diagnosis, and treatment is described.     

Ophthalmoplegia starting with a headache circumscribed in a line-shaped area: a subtype of ophthalmoplegic migraine?

Recurrent painful ophthalmoplegic neuropathy (RPON), formerly named ophthalmoplegic migraine (OM), is a rare condition characterized by the association of unilateral headaches and the ipsilateral oculomotor nerve palsy. The third cranial nerve is most commonly involved in the recurrent attacks. But it is still debated whether a migraine or an oculomotor neuropathy may be the primary cause of this disorder. Here, we report an elder patient who had a recurrent ophthalmoplegia starting with an unilateral headache circumscribed in an area shaped in a line linking the posterior-parietal region and the ipsilateral eye. And the headache had couple of features similar to that of migraine, such as past history of recurrent migraine attacks, accompaniments of nausea, vomiting, and phonophobia, response to flunarizine and sodium valproate. We may herein report a subtype of OM but not a RPON. This case report indicates that OM may exist as an entity and some OM may be wrongly grouped under the category of RPON in the current international headache classification.     

Oculomotor nerve palsy caused by posterior communicating artery aneurysm: evaluation of symptoms after endovascular treatment

We report the outcome of endovascular treatment in a series of patients presenting with posterior communicating artery aneurysm causing ocular motor nerve palsy. A retrospective study was made of ten patients who were treated by coil embolization of posterior communicating artery aneurysm caused by oculomotor nerve palsy. The assessed parameters were as follows: patient's age, presence of subarachnoid hemorrhage, aneurysm size, preoperative severity of symptoms, and timing of treatment after onset of symptoms. Improvement of oculomotor nerve palsy after treatment was noted in eight patients (80.0%). Complete recovery was noted in seven patients (70.0%), partial recovery in one patient (10.0%), and no recovery in two patients (20%). Clinical presentations with early management (≤2 days) were significant in influencing recovery. Complete recovery from ocular motor nerve palsy was significantly higher in patients with initial incomplete palsy compared with initial complete palsy patients (6/6 versus 1/4). Early treatment and initial partial palsy are relevant to improving prognoses. Endovascular treatment is favored method for treating oculomotor palsy.     

Pharmacologic anisocoria due to nebulized ipratropium bromide: A diagnostic challenge

Anisocoria may be physiological or seen in fatal conditions, such as intracranial hemorrhage. Newly developing anisocoria may cause confusion and diagnostic difficulty in the emergency department (ED). A 35-year-old female was admitted to the ED with an asthma attack and dyspnea. On examination, the patient was observed to have bilateral rhonchi and was treated with nebulized albuterol (salbutamol) and ipratropium bromide. After the treatment, the dyspnea improved, and mydriasis developed in the left eye (left pupil diameter 9 mm, right 4 mm). An examination revealed that the left pupil was dilated and unreactive to light, but there was no neurological finding. Afterwards, the patient reported that, during the treatment, some aerosol had leaked from the left side of the mask and may have come into contact with her left eye. Given this information, a pilocarpine test was performed, and the patient was diagnosed with pharmacologic anisocoria. The pupil returned to normal within 24 h. Ipratropium bromide is a drug frequently used in patients presenting to the ED with dyspnea. During treatment, nebulized ipratropium may leak from the edge of the facial mask into the ipsilateral eye and may cause mydriasis. A pilocarpine test can be used to differentiate pharmacological anisocoria from other causes, such as third nerve palsy and Adie's pupil. Through the awareness of emergency physicians and the use of the pilocarpine test, a diagnosis can be made without engaging in time-consuming and costly analyses. In addition, this complication can be prevented using masks that better fit the face, as well as protective goggles or eye patches, during treatment.     

Mastoid bone fracture presenting as unusual delayed onset of facial nerve palsy

Delayed-onset facial nerve paralysis is a rather uncommon complication of a mastoid bone fracture for children younger than 10 years. We routinely arrange a cranial computed tomography (CT) for patients encountering initial loss of consciousness, severe headache, intractable vomiting, and/or any neurologic deficit arising from trauma to the head. However, minor symptomatic cranial nerve damage may be missed and the presenting symptom diagnosed as being a peripheral nerve problem. Herein, we report a case of a young boy who presented at our emergency department (ED) 3 days subsequent to his accident, complaining of hearing loss in the right ear and paralysis of the ipsilateral face. Unpredictably, we observed his cranial CT scan revealing a linear fracture of the skull over the right temporal bone involving the right mastoid air cells. The patient was treated conservatively and recovered well without any adverse neurologic consequences. We emphasize that ED physicians should arrange a cranial CT scan for a head-injured child with symptomatic facial nerve palsy, even if there are no symptoms such as severe headache, vomiting, Battle sign, and/or initial loss of consciousness.     

Endovascular repair of posterior communicating artery aneurysms,associated with oculomotor nerve palsy: A review of nerve recovery

Purpose

Oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP) is often the presenting symptom in patients with posterior communicating artery (PCOMM) aneurysms with variable recovery of oculomotor nerve function following treatment. In this study we report the ophthalmologic outcome of 20 patients treated by endovascular coiling for PCOMM aneurysm-induced ONP.

Methods

We performed 230 PCOMM aneurysm endovascular coilings between the years 2006 and 2011, of which 20 cases presented with ONP. We recorded the degree of nerve recovery – complete, partial or none – while also documenting other predictive factors, such as degree of pre-intervention nerve deficit, presence of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), size and location of the PCOMM aneurysm and length of follow-up.

Results

Of the 20 patients, 9 (45%) presented with complete ONP and 11 (55%) with partial ONP. After an average follow-up period of 16 months, all patients achieved oculomotor nerve recovery; 9 (45%) patients had complete recovery and 11 (55%) patients had partial recovery. Of the 9 patients who presented with complete ONP, 5 (56%) patients made a complete recovery and 4 (44%) made a partial recovery. Of the 11 patients who initially presented with partial ONP, 4 (36%) made a complete recovery and 7 (64%) made a partial recovery. 7 (35%) patients also had a SAH, of whom 3 (43%) made a complete recovery with 4 (57%) making a partial recovery.

Conclusions

ONP can occur with PCOMM aneurysm with or without SAH. Endovascular coiling is an effective treatment for ONP due to PCOMM aneurysms.     

Coexistent Internal Ophthalmoplegia and Cluster Headache

SYNOPSIS
We present a patient with insulin dependent diabetes who developed severe retroorbital pain and subsequent internal ophthalmoplegia. Resolution unveiled typical cluster headache. We suspect this previously unreported coexistence of cluster headache with a diabetic third nerve palsy was a chance occurrence. The possibility of combined sympathetic and parasympathetic pupillomotor dysfunction was considered. The diagnosis of cluster headache was delayed by the masking coexistent clinical features of the oculomotor palsy.     

Painful Ophthalmoplegia: Oculomotor Nerve Palsy Without Mydriasis Due to Compression by Aneurysm

SYNOPSIS
A patient with a previously diagnosed left Horner's syndrome suddenly developed severe pain in the left eye and diplopia. Ipsilateral third cranial nerve palsy was present, but the pupil remained small and minimally reactive. A carotid angiogram showed a large aneurysm of the left internal carotid-posterior communicating junction. Pain was only relieved after successful clipping of the aneurysm and liberation of the third nerve. The effects of combined sympathetic and parasympathetic denervation of the pupil and the mechanism of their development in regard to the differential diagnosis of painful ophthalmoplegia are discussed.     

Vessel-wall MRI in thunderclap headache: A useful tool to answer the riddle?

BackgroundFinding an intracranial aneurysm (IA) during a thunderclap headache (TCH) attack, represents a problem because it is necessary to distinguish whether the aneurysm is responsible for the headache as a warning leak or as an incidental finding. High-Resolution Vessel-Wall (HRVW) MRI sequences have been proposed to assess the stability of the wall, as it permits to detect the presence of aneurysmal wall enhancement (AWE). In fact, AWE has been confirmed due to inflammation, recognizable preceding rupture.Case 1: A 37-year-old woman with a migraine more intense than her usual. A CTA revealed a 10 mm AComA aneurysm without subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and HRVW-MRI excluded AWE. The patient’s headache improved, and therefore, the aneurysm was considered an incidental finding, and the headache diagnosed as TCH attack. Subsequently, the aneurysm was surgically clipped, and typical migraine relapsed was reported at follow-up (FU).Case 2: A 67-year-old woman with no history of headaches underwent CTA for an abrupt onset of headache. A 7 mm right carotid-ophthalmic aneurysm with no sign of SAH was discovered. HRVW-MRI demonstrated AWE and thus, a TCH attack for a warning leak of an unstable wall was suspected. Endovascular coiling was immediately performed and at FU any further headache attack was reported.ConclusionsHRVW-MRI is useful in case of finding aneurysm as the cause of headaches, particularly the TCH attack. In fact, HRVW-MRI could assess the stability of the aneurysms wall, allowing different patient management and eventually the aneurysmal treatment.     

Ophthalmoplegic migraine and infundibular dilatation of a cerebral artery

Ophthalmoplegic migraine (OM) is a childhood disorder of uncertain etiology manifesting recurrent unilateral headache associated with a transitory oculomotor (usually IIIrd nerve) palsy. Recent publications emphasize the finding on MRI of contrast enhancement in the IIIrd nerve suggesting that OM may be a recurrent inflammatory neuropathy. We report the case of a 7-year-old boy with typical symptoms of this disorder. Angio MR and Angio CT revealed the presence of an infundibular dilatation of a perforating branch of the posterior cerebral artery adjacent to the symptomatic IIIrd nerve. We speculate that this and perhaps other cases of OM may have a different pathophysiology related to compression of the IIIrd nerve by an adjacent vascular structure that could activate the trigeminovascular system and produce migrainous pain.     

Chronic Cluster Headache Associated With a Vertebral Artery Aneurysm

This is a report of a patient with chronic cluster headache-like pain of 12 years duration. Investigation revealed an aneurysm at the junction of the vertebral and posterior inferior cerebellar arteries and after removal the patient experienced resolution of his cluster headache. The headache and aneurysm were both right sided suggesting a possible relationship.     

眼外肌麻痹患者257例的临床特征及病因分析

目的：探讨眼外肌麻痹的临床特征和病因。方法收集并回顾性分析257例眼外肌麻痹患者的临床资料,记录病史、临床表现以及相应的神经内科、眼科、内分泌科和影像学检查结果。结果单纯上眼睑下垂80例,单纯双眼复视131例,上眼睑下垂和双眼复视39例;单侧眼外肌麻痹223例,双侧眼外肌麻痹32例;外直肌麻痹84例,动眼神经支配的眼外肌麻痹178例,上斜肌麻痹24例;82例伴有眼眶局部疼痛,12例伴有瞳孔扩大;眼球运动神经病变163例,神经-肌肉接头病变69例,眼外肌病变25例。在163例眼球运动神经病变患者中,单个眼球运动神经麻痹148例,占90.8%;多个眼球运动神经麻痹15例,占9.2%。眼球运动神经周围性损害110例,占67.5%,核性损害16例,占9.8%,核间性损害13例,占8.0%,核上性损害24例占14.7%。确诊的病因有14种,包括重症肌无力,糖尿病性眼球运动神经损伤,动脉硬化缺血性眼球运动神经损伤,局部非特异性炎症,外伤性,局部占位性病变,甲状腺病变,颅内压增高,颅内后交通动脉瘤,线粒体脑肌病,颈内动脉海绵窦瘘,远隔部位肿瘤,多发性硬化,局部注射肉毒素,进行性肌营养不良。结论眼外肌麻痹的常见症状是双眼复视和上眼睑下垂,单侧眼外肌麻痹发生率高于双侧眼外肌麻痹,动眼神经支配的眼外肌麻痹发生率最高。眼眶部疼痛和瞳孔改变是常见的伴随症状。眼球运动神经性眼外肌麻痹患者并发高血压病、糖尿病的比例较高。眼外肌麻痹患者需要常规检查血糖,甲功、眼眶CT、头颅CT和（或）MRI、新斯的明试验,伴有瞳孔扩大时需要DSA排除颅内动脉瘤。     

Terson's syndrome in a pregnant woman: A fatal presentation

Terson's syndrome is a condition of vitreous haemorrhage occurring in association with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). This condition is uncommon during pregnancy. We report a fatal case of Terson's syndrome in a pregnant lady. She presented with an episode of seizure and complained of blurring of vision in the right eye after the seizure. Examination revealed subhyaloid haemorrhage in the right eye. The left fundus was normal. Subsequent investigations revealed a posterior communicating artery aneurysm. We would like to highlight that any case of non-traumatic vitreous haemorrhage with neurological symptoms and signs must be worked up as neuro-ophthalmic emergency.     

Case Study of Phrenic Nerve Paralysis: “I Can't Breathe!”

BackgroundThe anatomic course of the phrenic nerve runs in the fascia covering the anterior scalene muscle. Interscalene blocks are commonly performed by an anesthesiologist for shoulder surgery, such as a rotator cuff repair, total shoulder replacement, humeral fracture, or other arm surgery. Phrenic nerve palsy or paralysis is a known complication from interscalene block and is covered in multiple case reports and series in both Anesthesia and Neurosurgical literature, but only one case report in the Emergency Medicine literature.Case ReportThis case involves a 57-year-old man who had an uncomplicated arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with placement of interscalene block under care of anesthesia. He was discharged with a pain pump in place and then subsequently presented to the Emergency Department (ED) later that same day for evaluation of dyspnea. Using point-of-care ultrasound, his right diaphragm did not appear to be moving. Chest x-ray study revealed an elevated right hemidiaphragm. He was diagnosed with iatrogenic right phrenic nerve paralysis from interscalene block.Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?Emergent diagnosis of phrenic nerve paralysis in the ED is complicated by a distressed patient and need for quick intervention. Most formal tests for this diagnosis are not immediately available to emergency physicians. Ultrasound is a rapid and reproducible, noninvasive resource with high sensitivity and specificity, making it an ideal imaging modality for the emergent evaluation of possible phrenic nerve palsy or paralysis.     

MRI in Tolosa-Hunt syndrome associated with facial nerve palsy

A 44-year-old woman developed a severe right frontotemporal headache, retro-orbital pain, and, later, diplopia owing to right sixth nerve palsy. The brain MRI demonstrated strong enhancement of the right cavernous sinus. The sixth nerve palsy and headache improved with steroid therapy after 6 weeks. At that time, she suffered right peripheral facial nerve palsy. Enhancement of the distal canalicular and labyrinthic segment of the right facial nerve was found on contrast-enhanced MRI. To our knowledge, this is a very rare case of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome with facial nerve palsy, with simultaneous enhancement of the cavernous sinus and facial nerve on contrast-enhanced MRI.     

Is migraine with cranial nerve palsy an ophthalmoplegic migraine?

Ophthalmoplegic migraine (OM) is a rare form of primary headache. Because of its rarity, only a few cases, mostly symptomatic, are reported. We analyse nine cases among 52 973 adults who suffer from headaches with an oculomotor palsy firstly considered as OM. The study was retrospective and multicentric in a database set up in France. The aim of our investigation was to describe the clinical and radiological aspects of these cases and to discuss the diagnosis of OM. We demonstrate that the characteristics of the headaches were identical to usual migraine without oculomotor nerve palsy for each case. The study emphasises the difficulty of the OM diagnosis even with the new IHS criteria because of the rarity of having all characteristics. A wide heterogeneity was noted in cranial imagery and blood tests. We suggest adding the code of probable OM in the IHS classification to increase the knowledge and detection of this type of headache. A biological blood test and an MRI are systematically required to help clinicians in their diagnosis and to exclude alternative aetiology of headache with palsy.     

Can Computed Tomography Angiography of the Brain Replace Lumbar Puncture in the Evaluation of Acute‐onset Headache After a Negative Noncontrast Cranial Computed Tomography Scan?

Objectives: The primary goal of evaluation for acute‐onset headache is to exclude aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Noncontrast cranial computed tomography (CT), followed by lumbar puncture (LP) if the CT is negative, is the current standard of care. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the brain has become more available and more sensitive for the detection of cerebral aneurysms. This study addresses the role of CT/CTA versus CT/LP in the diagnostic workup of acute‐onset headache. Methods: This article reviews the recent literature for the prevalence of SAH in emergency department (ED) headache patients, the sensitivity of CT for diagnosing acute SAH, and the sensitivity and specificity of CTA for cerebral aneurysms. An equivalence study comparing CT/LP and CT/CTA would require 3,000 + subjects. As an alternative, the authors constructed a mathematical probability model to determine the posttest probability of excluding aneurysmal or arterial venous malformation (AVM) SAH with a CT/CTA strategy. Results: SAH prevalence in ED headache patients was conservatively estimated at 15%. Representative studies reported CT sensitivity for SAH to be 91% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 82% to 97%) and sensitivity of CTA for aneurysm to be 97.9% (95% CI = 88.9% to 99.9%). Based on these data, the posttest probability of excluding aneurysmal SAH after a negative CT/CTA was 99.43% (95% CI = 98.86% to 99.81%). Conclusions: CT followed by CTA can exclude SAH with a greater than 99% posttest probability. In ED patients complaining of acute‐onset headache without significant SAH risk factors, CT/CTA may offer a less invasive and more specific diagnostic paradigm. If one chooses to offer LP after CT/CTA, informed consent for LP should put the pretest risk of a missed aneurysmal SAH at less than 1%. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:444–451 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine     

眼科首诊的脑血管疾病32例临床分析

目的探讨以眼部损害为表现的脑血管病的病因和临床特点。方法回顾分析32例以眼部损害为表现（白诉视力障碍、复视或上睑下垂）的脑血管病患者临床资料。结果32例患者中,双侧视乳头水肿4例（11．11％）,同向偏盲2例（5．56％）,皮质盲1例（2．78％）,同向象限盲11例（30．56％）,外展神经麻痹6例（16．67％）,动眼神经麻痹12例（33．33％）,其中部分患者同时存在2种眼部损害。经过影像学检查后诊断脑干梗死10例（31．3％）,枕叶梗死6例（18．8％）,分水岭梗死4例（12．5％）,基底动脉尖综合征1例（3．1％）,枕叶出血2例（6．3％）,后交通动脉瘤4例（12．5％）,颅内静脉窦血栓5例（15．6％）。结论脑血管病可引起各种眼部损害：枕叶和后分水岭血管病变表现为同向偏盲或象限盲,脑干梗死导致核性、核间性或核下性眼肌麻痹,后交通动脉瘤导致动眼神经麻痹,颅内静脉窦血栓可引起视乳头水肿或视野损害。眼科医师应重视眼部损害与脑血管病的关系,加强影像学检查和与神经科医师间的合作,以提高诊断水平。     

Recurrent perimesencephalic nonaneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage within a short period of time: A case report

BACKGROUNDSpontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is primarily caused by a ruptured intracranial aneurysm. Perimesencephalic nonaneurysmal SAH (PNSAH) accounts for approximately 5% of all spontaneous SAH. PNSAH displays favorable prognosis. The risk of hemorrhage recurrence is low. We report a case of PNSAH recurrence, occurring within a short time after the initial episode in a patient not receiving antithrombotic or antiplatelet drugs. CASE SUMMARYA 66-year-old male, without any history of recent trauma or antithrombotic/ antiplatelet medication, suffered two similar episodes of sudden onset of severe headache, nausea, and vomiting. A plain head computed tomography (CT) scan showed subarachnoid blood confined to the anterior part of the brainstem. Platelet count and coagulation function were normal. PNSAH was diagnosed by repeated head CT, magnetic resonance imaging, and cerebral angiography, none of which revealed the source of SAH. The patient was discharged without focal neurological deficits. At 6-mo follow-up, the patient had experienced no sudden onset of severe headache and presented favorable clinical outcome. Studies have reported a few patients with recurrent PNSAH, originating frequently from venous hemorrhage and conventionally associated with venous abnormalities. PNSAH recurs within a short time following the initial onset of symptoms, although the possibility of re-hemorrhage is extremely rare.CONCLUSIONPNSAH recurrence should arouse vigilance; however, the definite source of idiopathic SAH in this case report deserves further attention.