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Oculomotor nerve segment between proximal posterior and superior cerebellar arteries: an MRI study

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Abstract

Purpose

No study has documented the oculomotor nerve (OMN) segment lying between the posterior cerebral (PCA) and superior cerebellar (SCA) arteries adjacent to the brainstem. The present study aimed to characterize it.

Methods

A total of 71 patients underwent thin-sliced, sagittal T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for analysis.

Results

The OMN segments lying between the PCA and SCA were identified in all patients. The OMN segment in relation to the PCA and SCA was classified into five types. Of them, the PCA-OMN contact type was the most frequent and found in 35.2% of 71 sides on the right and 39.4% on the left. Also, the PCA-OMN compression type was identified in 12.7% on the right and 15.5% on the left. In these types, the mean distance between the brainstem and contact/compression sites were measured 4.4 ± 2.3 mm on the right and 4.4 ± 1.6 mm on the left. In more than forty percent, the sites were located at the level of the pontomesencephalic junction.

Conclusions

The OMN may be frequently in contact with the PCA near the brainstem. The site located more distal than the central-peripheral myelin junction of the OMN can attribute to a low frequency of neurovascular compression syndrome of the nerve.

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Availability of data and materials

The data and materials concerning this study are available, if necessary, from the corresponding author (Satoshi Tsutsumi).

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Funding

No funding was received for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurological Surgery, Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital, 2-1-1 Tomioka, Urayasu, Chiba, 279-0021, Japan

    Satoshi Tsutsumi, Natsuki Sugiyama, Hideaki Ueno & Hisato Ishii

Authors
  1. Satoshi Tsutsumi
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  2. Natsuki Sugiyama
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  3. Hideaki Ueno
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  4. Hisato Ishii
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Contributions

ST conceived the study. NS and HU collected the imaging data. ST and HI analyzed the imaging data. ST wrote the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Satoshi Tsutsumi.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with financial or personal nature.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee, and the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all the participants included in the study on consent to participate and publish.

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Tsutsumi, S., Sugiyama, N., Ueno, H. et al. Oculomotor nerve segment between proximal posterior and superior cerebellar arteries: an MRI study. Surg Radiol Anat 44, 1475–1480 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-022-03033-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-022-03033-3

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