Oculomotor neuropathy syndrome. A diagnostic challenge in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Of 22 patients with different kinds of oculomotor neuropathy syndrome (ONS), 18 were initially suspected of suffering from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, in a series of evaluations, their diagnoses eventually proved to be other diseases such as cranial neuritis, aneurysm of intracranial internal carotid artery, chordoma, etc. The remaining four patients initially diagnosed as having aneurysm of skull base or pituitary lesion were actually NPC sufferers. Therefore, one should be very careful in differentiating NPC from many other diseases contributing to the similar manifestation of ONS.