The Tolosa-Hunt syndrome in children: a case report

Tolosa-Hunt syndrome (THS) is characterized by unilateral painful ophthalmoplegia with oculomotor paresis, associated with an idiopathic granulomatous inflammation involving the cavernous sinus, with a typical relapsing-remitting course. We report a case of an 8-year-old girl who was admitted because of an ophthalmoplegia with exotropia and ptosis of the left eyelid, accompanied by diplopia and left sovraorbital pain. The clinical data, neuroradiological findings and response to steroid treatment suggested THS, as defined by the 2004 International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD)-II criteria. THS must be considered a possible cause of painful ophthalmoplegia in childhood, as well as in adults, and confirmed with a focused neuroradiological investigation. The few paediatric cases described in the literature that meet the 2004 ICHD-II criteria are not sufficient to identify possible differences between the paediatric and the adult forms. Every new paediatric case should therefore be reported in order to gather and compare further information.