[A case of abducens nerve palsy after whiplash injury]

We report a patient who developed abducens nerve palsy after whiplash injury. The patient was a 61-year-old man who was involved in a traffic accident on May 15, 1993. After the accident, he developed severe neck pain. Four days later, he still had neck pain and vertigo. On the fifth day after the accident, he noted diplopia on left gaze and visited our hospital. Neurologic examination revealed an isolated abduction deficit of the left eye. Head magnetic resonance imaging and angiography showed no abnormal findings. Ten days later, the ocular movements of the patient were full and the diplopia disappeared. About two months later, his neck pain and vertigo also resolved. In this patient, the abducens nerve palsy was caused by whiplash injury and was in full recovery.