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Isolated Abducens Nerve Palsy: Update on Evaluation and Diagnosis

Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports volume 16, Article number: 69 (2016) Cite this article

Abstract

Abducens nerve palsy is a common clinical finding in neurology practice. In many instances, the origin is obvious and management straightforward; however, the list of possible etiologies and mimics is vast and diverse and diagnostic decisions can be challenging and even controversial. This is especially true when the abducens nerve is affected in isolation, since in the current era of cost-effective medicine, it is critical to accurately diagnose etiologies that may lead to major morbidity or mortality with efficiency. Topics for highlighted updates in this review include management of isolated abducens nerve palsy with a high likelihood of a microvascular ischemic etiology; common imaging pitfalls and current state-of-the-art neuroimaging; and abducens palsy mimics.

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Affiliations

  1. Departments of Neurology, NYU Langone Medical Center, 240 East 38th Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Christopher Elder, Clotilde Hainline, Steven L. Galetta, Laura J. Balcer & Janet C. Rucker

  2. Departments of Ophthalmology, NYU Langone Medical Center, 240 East 38th Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Steven L. Galetta & Laura J. Balcer

  3. Population Health, NYU Langone Medical Center, 240 East 38th Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Laura J. Balcer

Authors
  1. Christopher Elder
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  2. Clotilde Hainline
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  3. Steven L. Galetta
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  4. Laura J. Balcer
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  5. Janet C. Rucker
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Janet C. Rucker.

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No funding has been provided for this article.

Conflict of Interest

Christopher Elder, Clotilde Hainline, Laura J. Balcer, and Janet C. Rucker declare that they have no conflict of interest. Steven L. Galetta has received consultancy fees from Biogen.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical collection on Neuro-Ophthalmology

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Elder, C., Hainline, C., Galetta, S.L. et al. Isolated Abducens Nerve Palsy: Update on Evaluation and Diagnosis. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 16, 69 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-016-0671-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-016-0671-4

Keywords

  • Abducens palsy
  • Sixth nerve palsy
  • Isolated cranial mononeuropathy
  • Neuroimaging
  • Diplopia