Skip to main content

Cranial Nerve VI: Abducens Nerve

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Cranial Nerves in Neurology

Abstract

One sentence: The abducens or abducent nerve is CN VI and provides the motor innervation of the lateral rectus muscle.

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

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Heralgi M, Thallangady A, Venkatachalam K, Vokuda H. Persistent unilateral nictitating membrane in a 9-year-old girl: a rare case report. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2017;65(3):253–5.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Rucker CW. The causes of paralysis of the third, fourth and sixth cranial nerves. Am J Ophthalmol. 1966;61(5 Pt 2):1293–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Azarmina M, Azarmina H. The six syndromes of the sixth cranial nerve. J Ophthalmic Vis Res. 2013;8(2):160–71.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Joo W, Yoshioka F, Funaki T, Rhoton AL Jr. Microsurgical anatomy of the abducens nerve. Clin Anat. 2012;25(8):1030–42.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Tubbs RS, Radcliff V, Shoja MM, Naftel RP, Mortazavi MM, Zurada A, et al. Dorello canal revisited: an observation that potentially explains the frequency of abducens nerve injury after head injury. World Neurosurg. 2012;77(1):119–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Kirici Y, Kilic C, Kocaoglu M. Location of the abducent nerve within the cavernous sinus. Turk Neurosurg. 2011;21(4):545–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Zoli M, Mazzatenta D, Pasquini E, Ambrosetto P, Frank G. Cavernous sinus apoplexy presenting isolated sixth cranial nerve palsy: case report. Pituitary. 2012;15(Suppl. 1):S37–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Kayayurt K, Gundogdu OL, Yavasi O, Metin Y, Ugras E. Isolated abducens nerve palsy due to pituitary apoplexy after mild head trauma. Am J Emerg Med. 2015;33(10):1539-e3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Siddhanta KC, Shreeyanta KC, Kunwar P, Dhungana K. Tolosa-hunt syndrome: a case report. JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc. 2021;59(238):604–7.

    PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Lieber S, Fernandez-Miranda JC. Anatomy of the orbit. J Neurol Surg B Skull Base. 2020;81(4):319–32.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Wazir M, FaisalUddin M, Tambunan D, Jain AG. Idiopathic lateral rectus myositis without signs of orbital inflammation VI. Cureus. 2019;11(6):e4859.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Roemer S, Maeder P, Daniel RT, Kawasaki A. Sixth nerve palsy from cholesterol granuloma of the petrous apex. Front Neurol. 2017;8:48.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Knoflach K, Holzapfel E, Roser T, Rudolph L, Paolini M, Muenchhoff M, et al. Case report: unilateral sixth cranial nerve palsy associated with COVID-19 in a 2-year-old child. Front Pediatr. 2021;9:756014.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Pereira A, Haslett RS. Acute abducens nerve palsy following the second dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2021;58(6):e49–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Hermann JS. Isolated abducens paresis complicating herpes zoster ophthalmicus. Am J Ophthalmol. 1962;54:298–301.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Elder C, Hainline C, Galetta SL, Balcer LJ, Rucker JC. Isolated abducens nerve palsy: update on evaluation and diagnosis. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2016;16(8):69.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Wilker SC, Rucker JC, Newman NJ, Biousse V, Tomsak RL. Pain in ischaemic ocular motor cranial nerve palsies. Br J Ophthalmol. 2009;93(12):1657–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Vasconcelos LP, Stancioli FG, Leal JC, da Silva A, Gomez RS, Teixeira AL. Ophthalmoplegic migraine: a case with recurrent palsy of the abducens nerve. Headache. 2008;48(6):961–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Wazir M, FaisalUddin M, Tambunan D, Jain AG. Idiopathic lateral rectus myositis without signs of orbital inflammation. Cureus. 2019;11(6):e4859.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Ibekwe E, Horsley NB, Jiang L, Achenjang NS, Anudu A, Akhtar Z, et al. Abducens nerve palsy as initial presentation of multiple myeloma and intracranial plasmacytoma. J Clin Med. 2018;7(9):253. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm7090253.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Dixit G, Dhingra A, Kaushal D. Vincristine induced cranial neuropathy. J Assoc Phys India. 2012;60:56–8.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Jaben KA, Francis JH, Shoushtari AN, Abramson DH. Isolated abducens nerve palsy following pembrolizumab. Neuroophthalmology. 2020;44(3):182–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Park JS, Kwak SJ, Gil HW, Kim SY, Hong SY. Glufosinate herbicide intoxication causing unconsciousness, convulsion, and 6th cranial nerve palsy. J Korean Med Sci. 2013;28(11):1687–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Sam B, Ozveren MF, Akdemir I, Topsakal C, Cobanoglu B, Baydar CL, et al. The mechanism of injury of the abducens nerve in severe head trauma: a postmortem study. Forensic Sci Int. 2004;140(1):25–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Ng XL, Betzler BK, Testi I, Ho SL, Tien M, Ngo WK, et al. Ocular adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination. Ocul Immunol Inflamm. 2021;29(6):1216–24.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. McCormick A, Dinakaran S, Bhola R, Rennie IG. Recurrent sixth nerve palsy following measles mumps rubella vaccination. Eye (Lond). 2001;15(Pt 3):356–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Bourtoulamaiou A, Yadav S, Nayak H. Benign recurrent sixth (abducens) nerve palsy following measles-mumps-rubella vaccination. Case Rep Pediatr. 2015;2015:734516.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Reid MS, DePoe SA, Darner RL, Reid JP, Slagle WS. Clinical presentation of pseudo-abducens palsy. Optom Vis Sci. 2015;92(4 Suppl. 1):S76–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Grisold, W., Struhal, W., Grisold, A. (2023). Cranial Nerve VI: Abducens Nerve. In: The Cranial Nerves in Neurology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43081-7_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43081-7_10

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-43080-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-43081-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics