Acquired oculomotor, trochlear, and abducent cranial nerve palsies in pediatric patients

Between January 1966 and December 1988, 160 pediatric patients (age range, 0 to 17 years) were seen at the Mayo Clinic with an acquired oculomotor (35 patients), trochlear (19 patients), abducent (88 patients), or multiple (18 patients) cranial nerve palsy. The clinical findings in the 160 pediatric patients were compared with the results obtained in other reviews of cranial nerve palsies in the pediatric age group and with the adult Mayo Clinic patients with acquired cranial nerve palsies. Trauma was the most common reason for an acquired cranial nerve palsy in our pediatric group. The percentage of patients with an acquired cranial nerve palsy resulting from trauma was significantly greater in the pediatric group (42.5%) than in adults (15.4%) (P < .01). The difference between the percentage of adults (15.2%) and pediatric patients (16.9%) with a cranial nerve palsy secondary to a neoplasm was not statistically significant (P = .28).