A Case of Benign Abducens Nerve Palsy of Childhood.

Sohn,  Su Ye; Shin,  Jeong Hee; Lee,  Jang Hoon; Eun,  So Hee; Eun,  Baik Lin

Case Report

Journal of the Korean Child Neurology Society 2010;18(1):133-139.
Published online May 30, 2010.

A Case of Benign Abducens Nerve Palsy of Childhood.

Su Ye Sohn, Jeong Hee Shin, Jang Hoon Lee, So Hee Eun, Baik Lin Eun

Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. sheun@korea.ac.kr

Abstract

Benign abducens nerve palsy is rare in children. Identifiable causes of abducens nerve palsy include neoplasm, elevated intracranial pressure, infection and trauma. Isolated abducens nerve palsy with unknown etiology is classified as benign or idiopathic. The diagnosis is made by excluding underlying pathologies. Prognosis is favorable. Most patients have been found to recover spontaneously within 6 months. Recurrent palsy is observed in some patients and is more pronounced in younger girls with left-sided palsy. Even the recurrent cases, however, are still benign. We report a case of benign abducens nerve palsy presenting diplopia and headache with normal results from MRIs and microbiologic studies. The patient underwent rapid, spontaneous recovery.

Key Words: Abducens nerve diseases, Child