Cranial Nerve Palsies (cranial + nerve_palsy)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Neurological complications in two children with Lemierre syndrome

DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 8 2010
BASHEER PEER MOHAMED
Lemierre syndrome is a distinct clinical syndrome comprising oropharyngeal sepsis and fever, internal jugular vein thrombosis and remote septic metastases caused by Fusobacterium species. The mortality rate was historically high and although use of antibiotics led to a dramatic fall in incidence, a resurgence has been seen recently. A 14-year-old male developed Lemierre syndrome after tonsillitis. There was extensive leptomeningitis, especially over the clivus, causing 6th and 12th cranial nerve palsies, a clinical feature termed the ,clival syndrome'. He also developed an epidural abscess in the cervical spine, which was unsafe for surgical drainage. Conservative treatment with an extended course of antibiotics and anticoagulation for jugular vein thrombosis led to a good recovery. A 15-year-old female developed Lemierre syndrome after a persistent sore throat lasting 7 weeks. She had palsy of the 12th cranial nerve from clival osteomyelitis. She was treated with a 6-week course of antibiotics and anticoagulants leading to almost full recovery at 3-month review. Awareness of the potential neurological complications of Lemierre syndrome and prompt management are crucial in reducing morbidity and mortality in this ,forgotten disease'. [source]


Polyneuritis cranialis with contrast enhancement of cranial nerves on magnetic resonance imaging

JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 1 2003
A Morosini
Abstract: The disorder of multiple cranial nerve palsies without spinal cord involvement is referred to as polyneuritis cranialis (PC) and is rare. It is thought to be an acute post-infective polyneuropathy or a variant of Guillain,Barré syndrome. Electrophysiological evidence of demyelination has been reported, but no radiological abnormalities of the affected cranial nerves have been noted. We report a case of PC where contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed enhancement of the peripheral segments of the oculomotor and abducens nerves. This case illustrates the utility of MRI in the assessment of cranial nerve palsies. [source]


Peripheral nervous system involvement as presenting symptom of systemic B-cell lymphoma

JOURNAL OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, Issue 2 2004
C Casellato
Peripheral nervous system involvement has been reported in systemic B or T cell lymphoma and may result from intraneural localization of lymphoma resulting in meningo-radiculopathy or mononeuropathies, or manifest as a sensory-motor polyneuropathy sometimes mimicking chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. We report two patients with a previously unknown NHL presenting in both with a stepwise progressive asymmetric multiradiculoneuropathy initially misdiagnosed as inflammatory radiculopathy. A 58-year-old man presented with a 2 year history of stepwise progressive peroneal sensory loss, impotence, and lower limb painful asymmetric neuropathy. Lumbosacral MRI was normal. Electrophysiological studies were consistent with an axonal multiradiculoneuropathy while CSF examinations repeatedly showed increased protein levels (80,91 mg/dl) with slightly increased white cells (<10 mm3) but no malignant cell. The patient repeatedly failed to respond to steroids although he consistently deteriorated at their suspension. An MRI performed 2 years later when multiple cranial nerve palsies appeared showed bilateral T1 and T2 hyperintensities in the brain and cervical spinal cord. An extensive investigation for neoplasm was negative. The patient died from an intracranial hemorrhage during anticoagulant therapy for deep vein thrombosis. Autoptic studies revealed a widespread non-Hodgkin's type B lymphoma with massive systemic and neural involvement including cauda equina and spinal cord. A 54-year-old man presented with a 1 year history of impotence, urinary incontinence, progressive asymmetric painful distal sensorimotor impairment at four limbs and prominent weight loss. Four previous CSF examinations revealed increased protein levels (80,100 mg/dl), and slightly but inconsistently increased white cells (1,11/mm3) but no malinant cells. Steroids were repeatedly ineffective although the patient consistently deteriorated whenever steroids were discontinued. On admission electrophysiological studies showed an axonal asymmetric polyradiculoneuropathy. Brain and spinal MRI was normal while bone marrow biopsy and aspiration disclosed a B cell lymphoma. [source]


4344: Sixth nerve palsy: who needs a workup, who needs a scan?

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010
V PURVIN
Purpose To aid the clinician in the management of patients with sixth nerve palsy. Methods The yield of various diagnostic for sixth nerve and other cranial nerve palsies will be reviewed. Attention will focus on risk factors that predict a positive result on diagnostic testing, particularly neuroimaging. Results Most patients can be assigned a relative risk of harboring an underlying disease as the cause of their sixth nerve palsy but some will be missed. In most cases, a delayed diagnosis does not alter the outcome. Conclusion The decision whether to image a patient with a sixth nerve palsy remains controversial and must be individualized. [source]


Cutaneous Wegener's granulomatosis (malignant pyoderma) in a patient with Crohn's disease

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 11 2003
Sharon E. Jacob MD
We report a case of an unusual presentation of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) in a patient with Crohn's disease (CD). She presented to our Wound Care Center with 7th cranial nerve palsy and facial pyoderma-like ulcerations. Although WG has a predilection for the lung, kidney, and eyes, cutaneous involvement can be seen in 50% of the cases, and it can be the presenting sign in 9,14%. Because of the lethality of WG if not properly treated, the diagnosis is imperative. [source]


Comparison between the clinical and laboratory features of enterovirus and West Nile virus infections

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 7 2008
Joanna Middleton
Abstract The seasonality and clinical features of enterovirus (EV) infections overlap with those of West Nile virus (WNV). The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of EV detection in patients being tested for WNV and to look for features that could be used to distinguish between infections with these two viruses. Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) for EV was performed on all plasma samples submitted for WNV testing in 2003 and 2004. Demographics, clinical features, and laboratory results for patients with documented EV viremia were compared with those for patients with confirmed WNV infection (as diagnosed by NAT and/or serology). NAT for EV was positive on 50 of 1,784 serum or plasma samples submitted for WNV testing (2.8%). Clinical information was compared for 45 patients with EV viremia and 214 patients with WNV infection. Patients with EV viremia were younger and less likely to have heart disease or a travel history (P,<,0.05). The EV viremia cases were distributed throughout the whole province while the WNV cases were predominantly in the southern part of the province. Symptoms were remarkably similar, although patients with WNV infection were more likely to have anorexia, dizziness, rash, and cranial nerve palsy (P,<,0.05). There are no consistent differences in the features of WNV infection and enteroviral viremia so diagnostic tests for both viruses should be performed when WNV is present in local mosquitoes. J. Med. Virol. 80: 1252,1259, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Isolated Pontine Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy: Unusual Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features

JOURNAL OF NEUROIMAGING, Issue 1 2002
Devon I. Rubin MD
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is an uncommon opportunistic infection that causes focal or multifocal demyelination predominantly in the subcortical white matter. The authors describe the clinical and radiographic features in 2 unusual cases of PML that were initially isolated to the pons. One patient presented clinically with only an isolated sixth cranial nerve palsy. [source]


Intracranial Vasculitis and Multiple Abscesses in a Pregnant Woman

JOURNAL OF NEUROIMAGING, Issue 3 2001
Mutlu Cihangiroglu
ABSTRACT Cerebral vasculitis is an unusual disorder with many causes. Infectious causes of cerebral vasculitis are predominantly bacterial or viral in nature. Purulent bacterial vasculitis is most often a complication of severe bacterial meningitis. The patient is a 25-year-old African American female, 25 weeks pregnant, who presented to the neurology service after a consult and referral from an outside hospital. She had a 1-month history of right sixth nerve palsy. Initial workup included a negative lumber puncture and a noninfused magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Three days later, the patient developed right-sided migraine headaches and right third nerve palsy. The angiogram revealed diffuse irregularity and narrowing of the petrous, cavernous, and supraclinoid portions of the internal carotid and right middle cerebral arteries. Shortly thereafter, an MRI examination revealed diffuse leptomeningeal enhancement and abscess and a right parietal subdural empyema. Infectious vasculitis secondary to purulent meningitis has a rapidly progressive course and presents with cranial nerve palsy with involvement of the cavernous sinus. Although the association of this disease with pregnancy has not been established, it should be recognized that the early imaging studies may be negative or discordant and follow-up imaging might be necessary. [source]


Disseminated intraparenchymal microgranulomas in the brainstem in central nervous system sarcoidosis

NEUROPATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2005
Makoto Nishie
We report a 70-year-old woman with sarcoidosis and multiple cranial nerve palsy. The patient suffered from dysarthria, dysphagia and weakness of the upper and lower extremities and died of sepsis. No abnormalities were noted in brain MRI. At autopsy, numerous epithelioid granulomas with Langhans giant cells were present in the bilateral lungs, including the hilar lymph nodes. The brain had a normal external appearance. Histologically, there were brainstem parenchymal lesions consisting of many microgranulomas, lymphocytic infiltration, activated microglias and astrocytosis. Perivascular lympocytic cuffing was also seen. Neither granulomas nor lymphocytic infiltration were seen in the leptomeninges. The present case was considered to be a peculiar type of neurosarcoidosis, that is, "sarcoid brainstem encephalitis". [source]