Isolated Oculer Motor Nerve Paralysis: Retrospective Etiologic Analysis

Abstract

Background: The definition of the etiology in isolated paralyses of oculer motor nerves is essential. It is possible to find either no cause for the etiology or a condition like neoplazm in which early diagnosis and treatment is important. Objective: This study aimed at evaluating the etiologies of 32 patients with isolated ocular motor nerve paralysis who where hospitalized in University of Ankara Medicine Faculty Neurology Clinic between 1990 and 2000. Findings: Of the 32 patients in the study abdusens paralysis, oculomotor paralysis and trochlear paralysis were diagnosed in 21 (65.6%), 10 (32.3%) and 1 patient respectively. Abdusens paralysis was bilateral in 2 patients. Therewas no etiological factor in 43% of the patients with abdusens paralysis. In the remaining patients the etiological factor were in order insidence : ischemia, vascular malformation, neoplazm, trauma and encephalitis. lschemia was the most common etiological factor in patients with oculomotor nerve paralysis (70%). Migraine, vascular malformations and trauma were the subsequent common etiological factors. Head trauma was the history only trochlear nerve paralysis patient.