Isolated brain stem tuberculoma constitutes about 5% of all intracranial tuberculomas. A case of isolated inferior rectus palsy with downbeat nystagmus due to presumed midbrain tuberculoma in an immunocompetent patient is described here. This report documents a rare entity of a combination of partial third nerve palsy with pupil involvement along with downbeat nystagmus.
Introduction: This case report describes “one-and-a-half” syndrome with supranuclear facial palsy.
Case: 39 years old male hypertensive patient presented with right facial nerve palsy, internuclear ophthalmoplegia and conjugate gaze palsy. Neuroimaging showed acute posterior pontine infarct at medial longitudinal fasciculus, paramedian pontine reticular formation, abducens nerve nucleus and seventh nerve fascicular zone.
Observation: “One-and-a-half”syndrome is characterized by a lateral gaze palsy in one direction and internuclear ophthalmoplegia in the other. Our patient had Right sided one and a half syndrome along with the right facial nerve palsy.
Conclusion: Eight and a half syndrome is a rare manifestation of pontine infarction.
Purpose:
Our study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of intravenous erythropoietin (EPO) in patients with indirect traumatic optic neuropathy (TON), assess the side effects, and compare the visual function results among three groups of patients who had received different treatment options – EPO, steroids, and observation.
Methods:
Patients with indirect TON presenting to the neuro-ophthalmology clinic from August 2019 to March 2020, were assigned to three groups, with six patients in each group. In group 1, patients were recruited prospectively and received recombinant human erythropoietin, whereas, in groups 2 and 3, patients were recruited retrospectively and received intravenous methylprednisolone followed by oral steroids and multivitamins, respectively. Groups 1 and 2 included patients presenting within 2 weeks of trauma, whereas group 3 included those presenting beyond that. Best-corrected visual acuity, pupillary reaction, color vision, and visual fields following treatment were measured.
Results:
Initial visual acuity in the EPO group ranged from 20/80 to no perception of light (No PL). The mean initial BCVA (1.82 logMAR, standard deviation [SD] = 0.847) improved to 1.32, SD = 0.93 logMAR after treatment recorded at the third month (
P
= 0.0375), with no significant adverse effects. The initial BCVA of group 2 ranged from 20/120 to No PL. The mean initial BCVA (1.95, SD = 0.77 logMAR) improved to 1.45 logMAR, SD = 0.97 after treatment (
P
= 0.0435) but three patients had side effects of steroids. Initial visual acuity in Group 3 ranged from 20/40 to no PL. The mean initial BCVA (1.09 logMAR, SD = 1.10) worsened to 1.19 logMAR, SD = 1.06 after treatment after treatment (
P
= 0.0193). The improvement in BCVA when compared between the three groups was not significant.
Conclusion:
Both erythropoietin and steroids are effective in the management of traumatic optic neuropathy. However, erythropoietin shows lesser or no side effects when compared to steroids.
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