aetiology
Last reviewed 07/2021
The aetiology of oculomotor nerve palsy is very diverse:
In adults:
- central lesions:
- tumours:
- due to direct invasion of the third nerve nucleus
- due to raised intracranial pressure
- vascular:
- caused by a brainstem lesion
- demyelination
- peripheral causes include:
- compressive lesions:
- tumour
- aneurysm, often the posterior communicating artery
- basal meningitis
- nasopharyngeal carcinoma
- orbital lesions e.g. Tolosa-Hunt syndrome
- infarction:
- often spares the pupillary reflex, when the condition is termed a "medical third nerve palsy"
- often caused by diabetes mellitus
In children, the causes of a III nerve palsy include:
- congenital
- trauma
- tumour
- migraine