Isolated bilateral complete ptosis

A 45-year-old man had bilateral complete ptosis attributed to damage to the central caudal nucleus in the nuclear complex of the third cranial nerve, the other subnuclei being spared. Many discrete inflammatory foci were found in the midbrain and brainstem, a picture resembling that seen in subacute encephalitis. The findings are related to Warwick's concept of the anatomy of the third nerve.