Unilateral occlusion of the vertebral artery as a cause of bilateral paresis of the abducens nerve - case report

Abstract

Paresis/paralysis of the abducens nerve can be unilateral or bilateral. So far, several causes of unilateral paresis/paralysis of the abducens have been described: stroke, tumors, demyelinating diseases, infections and above all trauma. In this manuscript we present a 47-year-old lady with bilateral paresis of the abducens nerve. We described all the diagnostic procedures we have done in order to determine the etiology of this disorder (laboratory, radiological and other analyzes). The only pathological deviation that was discovered in our patient was unilateral occlusion of the vertebral artery. This is the first time that the unilateral occlusion of the vertebral artery has been correlated with a mentioned lesion of the sixth cranial nerves.