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Incomplete oculomotor nerve palsy in the subarachnoid space caused by traumatic brain injury

Yanling Zhang1, Kangning Chen, Bin Liu

  • 1Department of Neurology, Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China. zhangyanlingtmmu@126.com

Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
|April 3, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Traumatic brain injury can cause oculomotor nerve palsy due to subarachnoid hematomas. Understanding the nerve

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Ophthalmology
  • Neurosurgery

Background:

  • Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to complex neurological deficits.
  • Oculomotor nerve palsy (cranial nerve III palsy) presents with specific ocular motor and pupillary abnormalities.

Observation:

  • A 12-year-old female with TBI presented with left-sided ptosis and pupillary involvement.
  • Neuroimaging revealed an intracranial hematoma at the left temporal basilar region.

Findings:

  • The patient's ptosis and pupillary symptoms resolved following surgical hematoma evacuation.
  • The clinical presentation correlated with the topographic organization of the oculomotor nerve fibers within the subarachnoid space.

Implications:

  • This case highlights the importance of considering the anatomical arrangement of the third nerve in the subarachnoid space for diagnosing oculomotor nerve palsy.
  • Topographic mapping aids in predicting and localizing neurological deficits following head trauma.

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