[Bilateral meningiomas of the optic nerves associated with partial unilateral Duane's syndrome]

A 34 years old man, with right eye blindness since childhood, presented with a decreased vision of the left eye 28 years later. Apart from bilateral papillary atrophy, right blindness and decreased left visual acuity, neuro-ophthalmological examination revealed a partial Duane's retraction syndrome on the right. Optic canal X-rays and cerebral CT-Scan revealed calcified meningiomas of both optic nerves. The diagnosis was confirmed at surgery. Cases of bilateral optic nerve meningioma are reviewed. The difficulties of diagnosis, the usefulness of the CT-Scan, the poor prognosis of the disease, even with surgery and radiotherapy are considered. No explanation was found for the association of the tumors with Duane's retraction syndrome.