Traumatic oculomotor nerve palsy.

Traumatic isolated oculomotor nerve palsy is not common. Oculomotor nerve palsy without internal ophthalmoplegia (pupil sparing) is extremely rare. We report a case of this condition in a child. An 11-year-old boy was transferred to our hospital after a head injury in a traffic accident. Neuro-ophthalmic examination showed that the left eye had limited adduction, supraduction, and infraduction, incomplete convergence and left ptosis, but no internal ophthalmoplegia. Magnetic resonance imaging indicated mild bending of the ipsilateral oculomotor nerve at the posterior petroclinoid ligament. One month after injury, movement of the patient's eyes was normal on examination, but there was mild diplopia. The suggested mechanism of the oculomotor nerve palsy with pupil sparing in this case is stretching of the oculomotor nerve at the posterior petroclinoid ligament, maintaining an intact pupillomotor nerve.     

外伤性动眼神经麻痹的临床特点分析

目的总结轻型颅脑损伤所致动眼神经麻痹后的临床特点。方法通过眼外肌运动、眼睑活动、瞳孔大小分析20例轻型颅脑损伤患者动眼神经麻痹的严重程度及功能恢复,随访时间平均为14.2月(3个月~2年)。结果 15名男性患者和5名女性患者纳入此次研究。最常见的外伤原因是交通事故65.4%(13例);眼内肌麻痹是最常见的临床症状;上睑下垂、眼外肌麻痹和眼内肌麻痹的恢复率分别是95%(19例),83.3%(17例)和50%(10例)。结论眼球活动受限是影响轻型颅脑损伤动眼神经麻痹患者生活质量的一个主要因素;蝶骨骨折可能是一个潜在的机制参与了外伤性动眼神经麻痹的发生。     

Successful steroid pulse therapy for acute unilateral oculomotor nerve palsy associated with norovirus infection

We report a 4-year-old boy who developed acute unilateral oculomotor nerve palsy following Norovirus infection. He visited our hospital because of diplopia three weeks after Norovirus gastroenteritis. Physical examination showed only the left oculomotor nerve palsy. Enhanced MRI of the brain and cerebrospinal fluid examination revealed no abnormality. Anti GQlb antibody was negative. Because blepharoptosis and ophthalmoplegia progressed rapidly, we performed three courses of steroid pulse therapy (methylpredonisolone 30 mg/kg x 3 day/course) combined with vitamin B6. Autonomic dysfunction (isocorea, light reflex) began to improve in several days and subsequently extraocular movements (blepharoptosis, infraduction supraduction, adducent in order) resolved completely in one month. Idiopathic oculomotor paralysis is usually believed to be selflimited, but steroid pulse therapy should to be considered in cases ocular paralysis is so severe or progressive that immune-mediated mechanism was presumed.     

Correlates of brain-stem oculomotor disorders in multiple sclerosis. Magnetic resonance imaging

Three patients with focal brain-stem oculomotor disturbances (nuclear sixth nerve syndrome, sixth nerve palsy, bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia) as a consequence of multiple sclerosis have been studied with high-volume delayed computed tomography and high-field magnetic resonance imaging. In all of them, high-volume delayed computed tomography was inconclusive in the brain stem, but magnetic resonance imaging showed an area of prolonged T1 and/or T2 in the region appropriate to the oculomotor findings. Magnetic resonance imaging is the imaging technique of choice of small plaques in the brain stem. It can considerably aid clinicotopographic correlation in multiple sclerosis.     

Tuberculous meningitis with initial manifestation of isolated oculomotor nerve palsy

Tuberculous meningitis (TB meningitis) is a subacute meningitis known for its various form of initial manifestations, which often make early diagnosis difficult. The present case report demonstrates a patient with TB meningitis, who had initial manifestation of isolated right oculomotor nerve palsy. High vigilance is needed in diagnosing TB meningitis. A 75 year-old female was hospitalized due to acute onset of right side ptosis. Thorough neurological examination at admission revealed isolated right oculomotor nerve palsy. Brain magnetic resonance imaging and cerebral angiography showed no specific finding. Lumbar puncture was performed two days later due to low grade fever. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) study and the polymerase chain reaction on CSF confirmed the diagnosis of TB meningitis. Because TB meningitis is a chronic disease, cranial nerve palsies are common manifestations. This report suggests that TB meningitis should be a disease of differential diagnosis for isolated oculomotor nerve palsy.     

Hemorrhage in the oculomotor nerve as a complication of leukemia

Oculomotor paralysis of a patient with leukemia was revealed at autopsy to be caused by a hemorrhage in the oculomotor nerve. In a 63‐year‐old woman with pre‐B‐cell acute lymphatic leukemia, leukemic invasions occurred in her spinal cord and right oculomotor nerve during a hematological remission state. The oculomotor palsy was aggravated to complete paralysis during a leukemic relapse, which lasted until her death. An autopsy revealed a hemorrhage along with leukemic cells in the right oculomotor nerve at the segment in the upper orbital fissure. Although hemorrhagic oculomotor paralysis is a very rare complication, reports of its occurrence will likely increase with improved survival times of leukemia patients due to advances in chemotherapy.     

Isolated nuclear oculomotor nerve palsy due to mesencephalic infarction

A patient with unilateral nuclear oculomotor palsy due to midbrain infarction is described. A 46-year-old man was admitted because of difficulty in opening right eye and double vision noticed when he awoke in that morning. On admission, neurological examination revealed total right oculomotor palsy with slight impairment of left upward gaze. There were no other neurologic abnormalities at all. Brain CT and cerebral angiograms were also normal. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed on the ninth day, however, demonstrated high signal intensity in the right tegmentum of the mesencephalon on T2-weighted images, which was shown more clearly after the administration of Gadolinium-DPTA. He was diagnosed as nuclear third nerve palsy caused by midbrain infarction. The majority of isolated oculomotor nerve palsy has been reported to be caused by extraaxial lesion. When the oculomotor palsy is caused by intraaxial ischemic lesion, it is usually accompanied by other brain stem signs, because abundant nuclei and fibers are present adjacent to the oculomotor nucleus and nerve in the mesencephalon. The present case clarified that such a small infarct disclosed only by MRI can cause isolated oculomotor nerve palsy. It is emphasized that the intraaxial ischemic lesion should be ruled out by using the sophisticated diagnostic aid before making diagnosis of peripheral lesion. This is the first report of the isolated third nerve palsy resulting from mesencephalic ischemic lesion in the Japanese.     

Isolated nuclear oculomotor nerve syndrome due to mesencephalic hematoma

Unilateral third nerve palsy with bilateral superior rectus paresis and bilateral ptosis is a typical condition for nuclear oculomotor nerve syndrome. We report a case of nuclear oculomotor nerve syndrome due to midbrain hemorrhage, as a rare cause. A 73-year-old man presented with an abrupt onset of double vision and difficulty opening his eyes. He had uncontrolled hypertension in his history. Neurological examination revealed right oculomotor palsy with impairment of bilateral upward gaze and bilateral ptosis. MRI showed a mesencephalic area of increased T1 signal and decreased T2 signal consistent with a subacute hematoma. It is emphasized that isolated mesencephalic hemorrhage may be the cause of the nuclear oculomotor nerve syndrome without associated neurological signs.     

Bilateral third nerve palsy and temporal arteritis

BACKGROUND: Bilateral oculomotor palsy is a rare manifestation of temporal arteritis, and to our knowledge only 1 case has been described in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To investigate a possible case of temporal arteritis in a patient with bilateral third nerve palsy. DESIGN: Case report and review. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT: A 65-year-old man had subacute pupil-sparing bilateral third nerve palsy. RESULTS: Temporal artery biopsy findings and response to corticosteroids are consistent with temporal arteritis. CONCLUSION: Temporal arteritis is a rare cause of ophthalmoplegia in elderly persons and may be unrecognized.     

Anti-GQ1b IgG-negative case of overlapping Fisher's and Gullain-Barré syndromes after Campylobacter jejuni (PEN 19) enteritis]

We described a 70-year-old woman with overlapping Fisher's syndrome (FS) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), from whom Campylobacter jejuni had been isolated. In typical FS as well as GBS with ophthalmoplegia and acute ophthalmoparesis without ataxia, serum anti-GQ1b IgG antibody often is detected and ophthalmoplegia is characterized by the predominant abducens palsy. This patient, however, showed marked oculomotor nerve disturbance. Serum anti-GQ1b IgG antibody was negative and IgG antibodies against GM1, GM1b, and GD1a were strongly positive. Although FS and overlap of FS/GBS have been reported to be associated with PEN2 of C. jejuni, the isolate from our case belonged to PEN 19. C. jejuni serotype may be associated with clinical manifestations and anti-ganglioside antibody species.     

Locked-in syndrome with bilateral ptosis: combination of bilateral horizontal pontine gaze paralysis and nuclear oculomotor nerve paralysis

Summary A patient with a classical locked-in syndrome is described, in whom bilateral ptosis was observed on the 2nd day. On the 4th day, ophthalmoplegia was complete with the exception of a voluntary downward movement of the right eye. The syndrome can be explained by the association of bilateral horizontal pontine gaze palsy and a unilateral nuclear oculomotor nerve palsy, and approximates the total locked-in syndrome.     

A case of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome accompanied by facial and vestibular nerve damage]

A 37-year old man, who had repeatedly suffered from transient ophthalmoplegia in his left eye at the age of 29 and 36, developed left painful ophthalmoplegia accompanied by ipsilateral facial nerve palsy in August, 1991. Neurological examination revealed involvement of the left oculomotor, trochlear, ophthalmic division of the trigeminal, abducens, facial and vestibular nerves. Gadolinium-enhanced MRI which was taken at the acute phase of the illness demonstrated markedly enhanced left cavernous sinus and adjacent thickened dura mater in the middle cranial fossa. At the remission phase after starting corticosteroid therapy, these enhanced lesions were no longer observed even in enhanced MRI studies. We diagnosed him as suffering from Tolosa-Hunt syndrome presently accompanied by facial and vestibular nerve damage because of his history of illness, confined lesion in the left cavernous sinus and steroid-induced remission. We concluded that Tolosa-Hunt syndrome may be accompanied by damage of other cranial nerves in its course and that repeated gadolinium-enhanced MRIs are necessary for diagnosis and observation of the patients.     

Pediatric Isolated Oculomotor Nerve Schwannoma: A New Case Report and Literature Review

Isolated schwannoma arising from the oculomotor nerve occurs rarely, and only 12 children with oculomotor nerve schwannoma without neurofibromatosis have been sufficiently documented. This article presents a 3-year-old boy in which a large isolated parasellar oculomotor nerve schwannoma causing parent nerve dysfunction. Complete resection of the tumor was achieved via a right pterion approach, but he developed complete palsy of the third nerve postoperatively, which had an incomplete recovery in 12-month follow-up. We review the pertinent literature about pediatric oculomotor nerve schwannoma and discuss its clinical features and management.     

Swelling of the third nerve in a child with transient oculomotor paresis: a possible cause of ophthalmoplegic migraine

Transient oculomotor nerve palsy is rarely observed in childhood and mostly is recognized to be a migraine equivalent. We report an 8-year old girl who presented with recurrent attacks of transient oculomotor paresis. The clinical profile of the patient suggested transient dysfunction in the context of an ophthalmoplegic migraine. A CT scan was normal, but MRI demonstrated a swollen right oculomotor nerve.     

Presentation of a cavernous angioma with an oculomotor nuclear syndrome: a case report

INTRODUCTION: The nuclear syndrome of the oculomotor nerve, first described in 1981, is characterized by ipsilateral third nerve palsy and elevation paresis of the contralateral eye. CASE REPORT: A 59-year-old man suddenly developed diplopia and headache. Neurological examination showed nuclear ophthalmoplegia of the left third nerve without any other neurological abnormality. MRI findings demonstrated a typical, popcorn-like, smoothly circumscribed left posterior lesion. Surgical resection was not performed because of the deep localization. Spontaneous bleeding developed. CONCLUSION: This neuro-ophthalmological complication of a cavernous angioma, as seen in our patient, has rarely been described in the literature. The clinical presentation and anatomic elements of the nuclear oculomotor syndrome are discussed. This exceptional localization provides a useful illustration of anatomoclinical correlations.     

A case report of syphilitic meningitis with right oculomotor nerve palsy]

A 63-year-old man presented with acute-onset right ptosis and diplopia. The patient reported having engaged in unspecified sexual activities during his third decade and was found to have positive syphilitic serological findings at the age of 56 years. No clinical symptoms were noted at this time. On admission, he showed only right oculomotor nerve palsy. The patient's intelligence, gait and sensory functions were normal. Laboratory analysis revealed positive syphilitic serological findings and examination of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) further revealed pleocytosis, a higher IgG index and positive syphilitic reactions. A computed tomographic scan and other imaging studies were diagnostically nonspecific. We made a diagnosis of right oculomotor nerve palsy due to syphilitic meningitis. We treated the syphilitic meningitis with intravenous injections of penicillin G (24 million units per day for 21 days). Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction and other side effects were not apparent. We first made a thorough examination of the CSF to rule out diagnosis of meningitis, and pursued methylprednisolone pulse therapy (MPP, 1 g/day for 3 days) to treat the oculomotor nerve palsy. The ptosis and diplopia showed signs of improvement following the second MPP therapy session. The present case suggests that neurosyphilis is an important differential diagnosis for presentations of unspecific oculomotor nerve palsy and that MPP therapy may prove an effective treatment for it, even where there has been the long clinical onset.     

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia presenting with oculomotor nerve palsy

A 48-year-old man presented with left ptosis and double vision. Laboratory test findings indicated acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Lymphoblastic infiltration of both cavernous sinuses was observed on pituitary gland magnetic resonance imaging. Leukemias may present by many clinical conditions, but isolated cranial nerve palsy is very rare. To our knowledge, this is the first case of ALL presenting with oculomotor nerve palsy. Clinicians should consider oculomotor nerve palsy as the first ALL indication.     

Recurrent unilateral painful oculomotor nerve palsy with an ipsilateral posterior ethmoidal mucocele

We presented a case of 6 episodes of the right painful oculomotor nerve palsy for 10 years, accompanied by a posterior ethmoidal mucocele on the same side. No destructive bone lesions were shown on every recurrence with the brain CT. For the pathogenesis of neurological involvement in cases of mucocele, either the direct compression by an expanding mucocele or the inflammatory infiltration from a mucocele has been considered. In this case the latter mechanism is considered to be responsible for the etiology of the painful oculomotor nerve palsy. Cases of the painful oculomotor nerve palsy with paranasal lesion or history of parasinusitis are characterized by (1) predominant in male, (2) neurological manifestations unilaterally on the same side of paranasal lesion, and (3) frequent recurrence of neurological symptoms.     

Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor in the cavernous sinus of a toddler presenting with oculomotor nerve palsy

Introduction

Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) is a rare, highly malignant, and aggressive tumor of infancy. Although the prognosis of ATRT has been extremely poor, recently, the first prospective study for ATRT demonstrated improvement of prognosis. On the other hands, oculomotor nerve palsy is rare in children and the most frequent etiology is congenital. To our knowledge, only a few ATRT cases presenting with oculomotor nerve palsy have been reported, but ATRT originating from the cavernous sinus (CS) has not yet been reported.

Case report

An 18-month-old girl with right oculomotor nerve palsy was admitted, and a small mass in the right CS was detected with brain MRI. Although she received steroid pulse therapy and antimicrobial therapy, the mass continued to enlarge. One month after admission, the mass was partially resected and diagnosed as ATRT. Multimodal therapy including anthracycline-based chemotherapy, intrathecal therapy, and cranial irradiation was performed. Twenty-nine months after resection, she was alive without tumor relapse, but the oculomotor nerve palsy persisted.

Conclusion

This is the first reported case of ATRT located in the CS presenting with oculomotor nerve palsy. This case was successfully treated with partial removal of the tumor, a new chemotherapy regimen for ATRT and cranial X-ray irradiation.     

Transient oculomotor nerve palsy due to non-aneurysmal neurovascular compression

Acute oculomotor nerve palsy requires urgent exclusion of aneurysmal compression. We report a 62 year old man with a transient right third nerve palsy with pupillary involvement, who was found to have neurovascular compression of the cisternal oculomotor nerve as it curved over a duplicated superior cerebellar artery on high resolution MR imaging. Direct vascular compression should be considered in patients with isolated cranial neuropathies in whom other pathologies have been excluded.