Related Experiment Videos
[Ophthalmoplegic migraine: MRI findings. Case report]
Luciano Farage1, Mário Augusto Padula Castro, Túlio Augusto Alves Macedo
1Hospital das Clinicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil. lucianofarage@yahoo.com.br
Arquivos De Neuro-Psiquiatria
|April 15, 2005
Summary
Ophthalmoplegic migraine can cause temporary nerve enhancement visible on MRI scans. This finding requires careful diagnosis to rule out serious conditions like tumors or infections.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Ophthalmoplegic migraine is a rare neurological disorder characterized by headache and cranial nerve palsies, predominantly affecting the third, fourth, or sixth nerves.
- This syndrome most commonly manifests in children and adolescents.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium contrast may reveal transient enhancement of the affected cranial nerve.
Observation:
- This report details a 16-year-old male with a typical history of ophthalmoplegic migraine.
- MRI revealed an enhanced signal in the cisternal portion of the left oculomotor nerve after administration of gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (GD-DTPA).
Findings:
- Follow-up MRI 18 months later showed no residual abnormalities.
- The observed oculomotor nerve enhancement on MRI is considered pathological.
Implications:
- The enhancement of the oculomotor nerve necessitates a thorough differential diagnosis.
- Key differential diagnoses include neoplastic (lymphoma, leukemia), infectious (HIV/AIDS, syphilis), inflammatory (sarcoidosis, Tolosa-Hunt syndrome), and vascular (posterior communicating artery aneurysm) conditions.