This article reports a case of multiple cranial nerve injury after gamma knife radiosurgery treated with acupuncture and moxibustion combined with rehabilitation therapy. The patient presented with weakness of facial and tongue muscles, hoarseness, choking on water, and swallowing difficulties. The syndrome was attributed to qi and blood deficiency, and blood stasis obstructing the collaterals. The treatment principle focused on replenishing qi and blood, promoting blood circulation and unblocking collaterals. Yintang (GV24⁺), Lianquan (CV23), Qihai (CV6), Guanyuan (CV4), and Cuanzhu (BL2), Yangbai (GB14), Jingming (BL1), Sizhukong (TE23), Yingxiang (LI20), Sibai (ST2), Juliao (ST3), Quanliao (SI18), Dicang (ST4), Jiache (ST6), Xiaguan (ST7), Taiyang (EX-HN5) on the affected side, bilateral Jinjin (EX-HN12), Yuye (EX-HN13), Hegu (LI4), Zusanli (ST36), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Tianshu (ST25) were selected. Among these, bilateral Jinjin (EX-HN12) and Yuye (EX-HN13) were treated with pricking, Dicang (ST4) and Jiache (ST6) on the affected side were connected to an electroacupuncture device, and warming acupuncture was applied at Guanyuan (CV4). Rehabilitation therapy and electromyographic biofeedback were also incorporated. The treatments were given 2-3 times a week. After 18 months of intermittent treatment, the patient reported significant improvement, House Brackmann (H-B) facial nerve function grade was Ⅳ, and Sunnybrook facial nerve rating scale score was 53 points. After 2-month of follow-up, the patient reported normal swallowing ability and restored social engagement.
Humans ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Cranial Nerve Diseases/therapy*

BACKGROUND: The laryngeal mask airway (LMAⓇ) Protector™ (Teleflex Medical Co., Ireland) is the latest innovation in the second generation of LMA devices. One distinguishing feature of this device is its integrated, color-coded cuff pressure indicator (Cuff ™ technology) which enables continuous cuff pressure monitoring and allows adjustments when necessary; this ensures patient safety due to better monitoring.CASE: We report a case of postoperative unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy after uncomplicated use of the LMA Protector. To the best of our knowledge, this could be the second reported case.CONCLUSIONS: This case demonstrates that anesthetists need to routinely measure cuff pressure and that the Cuff Pilot™ technology is not a panacea for potential cranial nerve injury after airway manipulation.
Cranial Nerve Injuries ; Hypoglossal Nerve Diseases ; Hypoglossal Nerve ; Laryngeal Masks ; Patient Safety

PURPOSE: To understand the ophthalmic clinical features and outcomes of facial nerve palsy patients who were referred to an ophthalmic clinic for various conditions like Bell's palsy, trauma, and brain tumor. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted of 34 eyes from 31 facial nerve palsy patients who visited a clinic between August 2007 and July 2017. The clinical signs, management, and prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: The average disease period was 51.1 ± 20.6 months, and the average follow-up duration was 24.0 ± 37.5 months. The causes of facial palsy were as follows: Bell's palsy, 13 cases; trauma, six cases; brain tumor, five cases; and cerebrovascular disease, four cases. The clinical signs were as follows: lagophthalmos, 24 eyes; corneal epithelial defect, 20 eyes; conjunctival injection, 19 eyes; ptosis, 15 eyes; and tearing, 12 eyes. Paralytic strabismus was found in seven eyes of patients with another cranial nerve palsy (including the third, fifth, or sixth cranial nerve). Conservative treatments (like ophthalmic ointment or eyelid taping) were conducted along with invasive procedures (like levator resection, tarsorrhaphy, or botulinum neurotoxin type A injection) in 17 eyes (50.0%). Over 60% of the patients with symptomatic improvement were treated using invasive treatment. At the time of last following, signs had improved in 70.8% of patients with lagophthalmos, 90% with corneal epithelium defect, 58.3% with tearing, and 72.7% with ptosis. The rate of improvement for all signs was high in patients suffering from facial nerve palsy without combined cranial nerve palsy. CONCLUSIONS: The ophthalmic clinical features of facial nerve palsy were mainly corneal lesion and eyelid malposition, and their clinical course improved after invasive procedures. When palsy of the third, fifth, or sixty cranial nerve was involved, the prognosis and ophthalmic signs were worse than in cases of simple facial palsy. Understanding these differences will help the ophthalmologist take care of patients with facial nerve palsy.
Bell Palsy ; Brain Neoplasms ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Cranial Nerves ; Epithelium, Corneal ; Eyelids ; Facial Nerve ; Facial Paralysis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Paralysis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Strabismus ; Tears

Upon review, it is noted that recurrent painful ophthalmoplegic neuropathy (RPON) is a rare neurological syndrome characterized by recurrent unilateral headaches and painful ophthalmoplegia of the ipsilateral oculomotor nerve. As seen on brain MRI, thickening and enhancement of the oculomotor cranial nerve can be observed in these cases. We experienced a case of RPON in an adult patient who showed thickening and enhancement of the oculomotor nerve on gadolinium-enhanced 3D-FLAIR image. The authors report a case of RPON with a review of the literature.
Adult ; Brain ; Cranial Nerves ; Headache ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Oculomotor Nerve ; Oculomotor Nerve Diseases ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Paralysis

No abstract available.
Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Cranial Nerves ; Hoarseness ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency ; Vocal Cord Paralysis

PURPOSE: To report a case of pituitary apoplexy presenting as isolated bilateral oculomotor nerve palsy. CASE SUMMARY: A 46-year-old male presented with bilateral ptosis and acute severe headaches for 6 days. He underwent head surgery and bilateral vitrectomy 12 years prior to his visit because of ocular and head trauma. He mentioned that previous visual acuities in both eyes were not good. The initial corrected visual acuity was finger counting in the right eye and 20/500 in the left eye. Ocular motility testing revealed the limitation of adduction, supraduction, and infraduction with complete bilateral ptosis in both eyes, and his left pupil was dilated. He was diagnosed with an isolated bilateral oculomotor nerve palsy. Magnetic resonance imaging indicated pituitary gland hemorrhage with a tumor, which was suspicious of pituitary apoplexy. The patient was treated intravenous with 1.0 g methylprednisolone to prevent the corticotropic deficiency. In addition, he underwent surgical decompression using a navigation-guided transsphenoidal approach and aspiration biopsy. He was confirmed with pituitary adenoma using a pathological examination. The patient's ocular movements began to dramatically improve by the third day postoperatively. At 4 months postoperative follow-up, his ocular movement and double vision were completely recovered. CONCLUSIONS: This was a rare case of pituitary apoplexy with bilateral isolated oculomotor nerve palsy, which was the first report in the Republic of Korea. A full recovery was achieved after early surgical treatment.
Biopsy, Needle ; Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Decompression, Surgical ; Diplopia ; Fingers ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Headache ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Methylprednisolone ; Middle Aged ; Oculomotor Nerve Diseases ; Oculomotor Nerve ; Pituitary Apoplexy ; Pituitary Gland ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Pupil ; Republic of Korea ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy

PURPOSE: To investigate the types and clinical features of neurological diseases after head trauma. METHODS: From March 2010 to December 2018, a total of 177 patients were enrolled in this study. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical features of neurological ophthalmic diagnoses and frequencies, the types of head injuries, and the prognoses. RESULTS: Cranial nerve palsy was the most common (n = 63, 35.6%), followed by traumatic optic neuropathy (n = 45, 25.4%), followed by optic disc deficiency, ipsilateral visual field defect, Nystagmus, skewing, ocular muscle paralysis between nuclei, and Terson syndrome. Neuro-ophthalmic deficits occurred in relatively strong traumas accompanied by intracranial hemorrhage or skull fracture. However, convergence insufficiency and decompensated phoria occurred in relatively weak trauma such as concussion. The prognoses of the diseases were poor (p < 0.05) for traumatic optic neuropathies and visual field defects. The prognoses of neurological diseases were poor if accompanied by intracranial hemorrhages or skull fractures (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: After head trauma, various neuro-ophthalmic diseases can occur. The prognosis may differ depending on the type of the disease, and the strength of the trauma may affect the prognosis.
Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Diagnosis ; Head ; Humans ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Ocular Motility Disorders ; Optic Nerve Injuries ; Paralysis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Skull Fractures ; Strabismus ; Visual Fields

Cranial nerve palsies are relatively common after trauma, but trochlear nerve palsy is relatively uncommon. Although traumatic trochlear nerve palsy is easy to diagnose clinically because of extraocular movement disturbances, radiologic evaluations of this condition are difficult to perform because of the nerve's small size. Here, we report the case of a patient with delayed traumatic trochlear nerve palsy associated with a traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and the related radiological findings, as obtained with high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A 63-year-old woman was brought to the emergency room after a minor head trauma. Neurologic examinations did not reveal any focal neurologic deficits. Brain computed tomography showed a traumatic SAH at the left ambient cistern. The patient complained of vertical diplopia at 3 days post-trauma. Ophthalmologic evaluations revealed trochlear nerve palsy on the left side. High-resolution 3D MRI, performed 20 days post-trauma, revealed continuity of the trochlear nerve and its abutted course by the posterior cerebral artery branch at the brain stem. Chemical irritation due to the SAH and the abutting nerve course were considered causative factors. The trochlear nerve palsy completely resolved during follow-up. This case shows the usefulness of high-resolution 3D MRI for evaluating trochlear nerve palsy.
Brain ; Brain Stem ; Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Diplopia ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Middle Aged ; Neurologic Examination ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Posterior Cerebral Artery ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Traumatic* ; Trochlear Nerve Diseases* ; Trochlear Nerve*

Ramsay-Hunt syndrome is an infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus. It is usually associated with facial and vestibulocochlear nerve palsy, but other cranial nerve dysfunction can be accompanied. We present a 68-year-old woman with abducens nerve palsy associated with Ramsay-Hunt syndrome. She showed abduction limitation of left eye with peripheral facial palsy and vestibulopathy of the left side. Varicella zoster virus polymerase chain reaction of cerebrospinal fluid was positive and internal auditory canal magnetic resonance imaging was revealed enhancement of labyrinthine segment of left facial nerve. Although abducens nerve palsy is uncommon feature of Ramsay-Hunt syndrome, but it can be developed by several different mechanisms.
Abducens Nerve Diseases ; Abducens Nerve ; Aged ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Communicable Diseases ; Cranial Nerves ; Facial Nerve ; Facial Paralysis ; Female ; Herpesvirus 3, Human ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Paralysis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Vestibulocochlear Nerve

Treatment of paraclinoid aneurysms weather by surgery, or endovascular embolization has a risk of visual loss due to optic neuropathy, or diplopia due to cranial nerve palsies. Visual complications occur immediately after the clipping, whereas they can occur variable time after endovascular coiling. Recently, endovascular coiling for paraclinoid aneurysm is regarded as a safe and feasible treatment. But it still has risks of acute thromboembolic complication, or cranial nerve palsies. A 45-year-old woman was referred from local hospital to our hospital due to ruptured large ICA dorsal wall aneurysm. A total of 12 coils (195 cm) were used for obliteration of aneurysm. Postoperative diffusion weighted image showed no abnormal signal intensity lesion and magnetic resonance angiography demonstrated no sign of vasospasm, or vessel narrowing. But, she complained visual problem 23 days after coil embolization. Ophthalmologist confirmed the left optic disc atrophy on fundoscopy. Although steroid was started, but monocular blindness did not recover completely. The endovascular embolization of paraclinoid aneurysm, especially projecting superiorly with large irregular shape, has the risk of progressive visual loss because of the proximity to optic nerve.
Aneurysm ; Atrophy ; Blindness ; Carotid Arteries ; Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Diffusion ; Diplopia ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Middle Aged ; Optic Nerve ; Optic Nerve Diseases ; Weather