Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Case report: isolated trochlear nerve palsy associated with posterior cerebral artery aneurysm

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Acta Neurochirurgica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We describe a case of isolated trochlear nerve palsy caused by an unruptured posterior cerebral artery (PCA) aneurysm in an 82-year-old male who consulted an ophthalmologist after developing diplopia. Magnetic resonance angiography showed a left PCA aneurysm in the ambient cistern, and T2WI showed an aneurysm compressing the left trochlear nerve to the cerebellar tentorium. Digital subtraction angiography revealed that the lesion was located between the left P2a segment. We attributed this isolated trochlear palsy to left PCA unruptured aneurysm pressure. Thus, we performed stent-assisted coil embolization. The aneurysm was obliterated, and trochlear nerve palsy improved completely.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

DSA:

Digital subtraction angiography

ICA:

Internal cerebral artery

MRA:

Magnetic resonance angiography

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

PAO:

Parent artery occlusion

PCA:

Posterior cerebral artery

TSE:

Turbo spin echo

References

  1. Agostinis C, Caverni L, Moschini L, Rottoli MR, Foresti C (1992) Paralysis of fourth cranial nerve due to superior-cerebellar artery aneurysm. Neurology 42:457–458. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.42.2.457

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Ahn JY, Han IB, Yoon PH, Kim SH, Kim NK, Kim S, Joo JY (2006) Clipping vs coiling of posterior communicating artery aneurysms with third nerve palsy. Neurology 66:121–123. https://doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000191398.76450.c4

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Ciceri EF, Klucznik RP, Grossman RG, Rose JE, Mawad ME (2001) Aneurysms of the posterior cerebral artery: classification and endovascular treatment. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 22:27–34

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Collins TE, Mehalic TF, White TK, Pezzuti RT (1992) Trochlear nerve palsy as the sole initial sign of an aneurysm of the superior cerebellar artery. Neurosurgery 30:258–261. https://doi.org/10.1227/00006123-199202000-00020

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Date I (2010) Symptomatic unruptured cerebral aneurysms: features and surgical outcome. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 50:788–799. https://doi.org/10.2176/nmc.50.788

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Dosunmu EO, Hatt SR, Leske DA, Hodge DO, Holmes JM (2018) Incidence and etiology of presumed fourth cranial nerve palsy: a population-based study. Am J Ophthalmol 185:110–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2017.10.019

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Drake CG, Amacher AL (1969) Aneurysms of the posterior cerebral artery. J Neurosurg 30:468–474. https://doi.org/10.3171/jns.1969.30.4.0468

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Ferrante L, Acqui M, Trillò G, Lunardi P, Fortuna A (1996) Aneurysms of the posterior cerebral artery: do they present specific characteristics? Acta Neurochir (Wien) 138:840–852. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01411263

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Goehre F, Jahromi BR, Lehecka M, Lehto H, Kivisaari R, Andrade-Barazarte H, Ibrahim TF, Párraga RG, Ludtka C, Meisel HJ, Koivisto T, Von Und Zu, Fraunberg M, Niemelä M, Jääskeläinen JE, Hernesniemi JA (2016) Posterior cerebral artery aneurysms: treatment and outcome analysis in 121 patients. World Neurosurg 92:521–532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2016.03.063

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hall JK, Jacobs DA, Movsas T, Galetta SL (2002) Fourth nerve palsy, homonymous hemianopia, and hemisensory deficit caused by a proximal posterior cerebral artery aneurysm. J Neuroophthalmol 22:95–98. https://doi.org/10.1097/00041327-200206000-00006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Hallacq P, Piotin M, Moret J (2002) Endovascular occlusion of the posterior cerebral artery for the treatment of p2 segment aneurysms: retrospective review of a 10-year series. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 23:1128–1136

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Honda M, Tsutsumi K, Yokoyama H, Yonekura M, Nagata I (2004) Aneurysms of the posterior cerebral artery: retrospective review of surgical treatment. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 44:164–169. https://doi.org/10.2176/nmc.44.164

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Kashiwazaki D, Ushikoshi S, Asano T, Osanai T, Kuroda S, Houkin K (2011) Endovascular treatment for aneurysms of the posterior cerebral artery: 12 years′ experience with 21 cases. Acta Neurochir 153:2151–2158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-011-1111-5

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Keane JR (1993) Fourth nerve palsy: historical review and study of 215 inpatients. Neurology 43:2439–2443. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.43.12.2439

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Lanza G, Vinciguerra L, Puglisi V, Giuffrida S, Foti P, Zelante G, Pennisi G, Bella R (2015) Acute isolated trochlear nerve palsy in a patient with cavernous carotid aneurysm and visit-to-visit variability in systolic blood pressure. Int J Stroke 10:E61–E61. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijs.12552

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Lv X, Li Y, Yang X, Jiang C, Wu Z (2012) Potential proneness of fetal-type posterior cerebral artery to vascular insufficiency in parent vessel occlusion of distal posterior cerebral artery aneurysms. J Neurosurg 117:284–287. https://doi.org/10.3171/2012.4.jns111788

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Pia HW, Fontana H (1977) Aneurysms of the posterior cerebral artery. Locations and clinical pictures. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 38:13–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01401541

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Seoane ER, Tedeschi H, de Oliveira E, Siqueira MG, Calderón GA, Rhoton AL Jr (1997) Management strategies for posterior cerebral artery aneurysms: a proposed new surgical classification. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 139:325–331. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01808828

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Shimo-oku M, Izaki A, Shim-myo A (1998) Fourth nerve palsy as an initial sign of internal carotid-posterior communicating artery aneurysm. Neuro-Ophthalmology 19:185–190. https://doi.org/10.1076/noph.19.4.185.3938

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Xu J, Xu L, Wu Z, Chen X, Yu J, Zhang J (2015) Fetal-type posterior cerebral artery: the pitfall of parent artery occlusion for ruptured P2 segment and distal aneurysms. J Neurosurg 123:906–914. https://doi.org/10.3171/2014.9.jns1442

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This research received no specific grants from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sector.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

Taisuke Yoshinaga: conceptualization and writing of the original draft. Hironori Fukumoto: conceptualization, supervision, and writing of the original draft. Dai Kawano: writing, review, and editing. Hiromasa Kobayashi: writing, review, and editing. Kenji Fukuda: supervision. Takashi Morishita: supervision and writing of the original draft. Tooru Inoue: supervision. Hiroshi Abe: supervision, writing–review, and editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hironori Fukumoto.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest concerning the materials or methods used in this case report, or the findings of this study.

Ethical approval

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

Informed consent

The patient and his family approved the writing of this paper.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yoshinaga, T., Fukumoto, H., Kawano, D. et al. Case report: isolated trochlear nerve palsy associated with posterior cerebral artery aneurysm. Acta Neurochir 165, 1027–1030 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-023-05530-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-023-05530-9

Keywords

Navigation