[Tolosa-Hunt syndrome. Report of a surgical case]

A 58-year-old male presented with painful right ophthalmoplegia and was diagnosed as having Tolosa-Hunt syndrome. High-dose oral administration of a corticosteroid provided significant pain relief, but total ophthalmoplegia persisted. Computed tomography (CT) showed a tumor-like mass in the bilateral cavernous sinus. Angiography revealed occlusion of the right internal carotid artery. According to the literature, about 70% of cases of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome are caused by parasellar neoplasms. A transcranial biopsy of the patient's lesion revealed a nonspecific granulomatous process in the wall of the right cavernous sinus. He was again placed on high-dose corticosteroid therapy and within 1 week the right visual acuity improved slightly. The corticosteroid dose was gradually tapered over 3 months. After 2 months of therapy, the external ocular movement had almost fully recovered, although the light reflex was absent and the CT findings did not change.