Ophthalmoplegia has many possible causes that must be considered. Among them, common causes of combined third, forth, and sixth nerve palsies at the base of brain induced mass effect are head trauma, neoplasm, and aneurysm. Cysticercosis is unique among infectious lesions of the brain stem because the associated clinical symptoms are primarily related to mass effect on adjacent neural structures and differential diagnosis with other space-occupying lesions is difficult on clinical grounds. We report a patient who presented with right oculomotor and trochlear palsy. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a large cystic sass on the interpeduncular cistern and midbrain. Surgical extirpation was done, which was followed by clinical improvement.
Abducens Nerve Diseases ; Aneurysm ; Brain ; Brain Stem ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Cysticercosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mesencephalon ; Neurocysticercosis* ; Ophthalmoplegia* ; Paralysis