Adult-Onset Ophthalmoplegic Migraine with Recurrent Sixth Nerve Palsy: A Case Report

Recurrent Painful Ophthalmoplegic Neuropathy: A case report with atypical features and a review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

Recurrent Painful Ophthalmoplegic Neuropathy, previously known as Ophthalmoplegic Migraine, is a poorly characterized disorder mainly because there are few cases described. We report a new case of Recurrent Painful Ophthalmoplegic Neuropathy and a review of the literature to contribute to increasing the knowledge of the clinical features of this disorder.

CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A 45-year-old woman presented with adult-onset recurrent attacks of abducens and oculomotor palsy associated with diplopia followed by headache. Most notably, pain always presented many days after oculomotor impairment, a feature never described in the literature. A diagnosis of possible Recurrent Painful Ophthalmoplegic Neuropathy was made after excluding other possible mimicking disorders. Symptoms usually resolved gradually with corticosteroid therapy, albeit without a clear-cut benefit.Clinical data collected from 1989 to 2022 showed that adult onset in Recurrent Painful Ophthalmoplegic Neuropathy is not uncommon. While III cranial nerve palsy is typical, VI and IV nerve palsy have also been described.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND DIAGNOSIS

Several hypotheses have been proposed, including nerve compression, ischemia or inflammation/demyelination, but none has been completely accepted.Diagnosis remains of exclusion; magnetic resonance imaging and blood exams are key in differential diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our case gives us the possibility to expand the clinical features of Recurrent Painful Ophthalmoplegic Neuropathy, also contributing to updating the pathophysiological hypotheses.

Proposed modified diagnostic criteria for recurrent painful ophthalmoplegic neuropathy: Five case reports and literature review

Background

Recurrent painful ophthalmoplegic neuropathy (RPON) is an uncommon disorder characterized by recurrent unilateral headache attacks associated with ipsilateral ophthalmoplegia. We intend to study the clinical picture in our case series along with the published literature to discuss the pathogenesis and propose modified diagnostic criteria for recurrent painful ophthalmoplegic neuropathy.

Methods

We reported five cases diagnosed as ophthalmoplegic migraine/RPON in our medical centers and reviewed the published literature related to RPON from the Pubmed database between 2000 and 2020. In one of these cases, a multiplanar reformation was performed to look at the aberrant cranial nerve.

Results

The mean onset age for RPON was 22.1 years, and the oculomotor nerve was the most commonly involved cranial nerve (53.9%) in 165 reviewed patients. In most patients, ophthalmoplegia started within 1 week of the headache attack (95.7%, 67/70). Additionally, 27.6% (40/145) of patients presented enhancement of the involved nerve(s) from MRI tests. Finally, 78 patients received corticosteroids, out of which 96.2% benefited from them.

Conclusion

This is the first time multiplanar reformation has been performed to reveal the distortion of the oculomotor nerve. Modified diagnostic criteria are proposed. We hope to expand the current knowledge and increase the detection of recurrent painful ophthalmoplegic neuropathy in the future.

Are some ophthalmoplegias migrainous in origin?

The 3rd edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders replaced the term ophthalmoplegic migraine (OM) with Recurrent Painful Ophthalmoplegic Neuropathy (RPON) based on the presence of contrast enhancement of the involved cranial nerves on Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. We review our experience and publications concerning ophthalmoplegia, migraine, and RPON. Majority of cases of acute ophthalmoplegia are associated with severe migrainous headaches. A positive history of migraine, increased severity of migraine headaches before the onset of ophthalmoplegia, and the close temporal association between migraine attacks and ophthalmoplegia all suggest an important role played by migraine in the causation of ophthalmoplegia. Enhancement of the involved cranial nerves may be due to the neuro-inflammatory cascade associated with migraine. OM should be considered along with RPON in differential diagnoses of painful ophthalmoplegic syndromes.

From ophthalmoplegic migraine to cranial neuropathy

Ophthalmoplegic migraine (OM)/recurrent painful ophthalmoplegic neuropathy (RPON) is a rare disease consisting of recurrent unilateral headache accompanied or followed by ipsilateral ophthalmoplegia. Because MRI findings suggest neuropathy and the relationship to typical migraine remains unclear, the disease has been renamed from "ophthalmoplegic migraine" to "recurrent painful oculomotor neuropathy" in the third edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD). However, it remains a fact that most cases of OM/RPON described in the literature have a history of migraine and that the headache during OM/RPON often has migrainous features. A more detailed clinical description of the headache during OM/RPON and additional results from imaging and possibly histology will be needed to better understand the pathophysiology of the disease and its relationship to typical migraine.

Ophthalmoplegic migraine: Migraine or oculomotor neuropathy?

Background

Ophthalmoplegic migraine (OM) is a rare condition characterized by the association of headaches and an oculomotor nerve palsy. The third cranial nerve is commonly involved in recurrent attacks, whereas involvement of the sixth and fourth nerves is uncommon. It is still debated whether an uncontrolled migraine or an oculomotor neuropathy may be the primary cause of ophthalmoplegic migraine.

Cases

We report two patients affected by OM with normal magnetic resonance imaging findings and a history of uncontrolled migraine before an attack of OM.

Conclusion

The cases reported allow us to hypothesize that OM may be considered a form of migraine rather than a cranial neuralgia. It is possible that different factors such as inflammatory or structural factors, may represent a vulnerability of the nerve during a severe migraine attack causing ophthalmoplegia.

Ophthalmoplegic "migraine" or recurrent ophthalmoplegic cranial neuropathy: new cases and a systematic review

Ophthalmoplegic migraine is a poorly understood neurologic syndrome characterized by recurrent bouts of head pain and ophthalmoplegia. By reviewing cases presenting to our centers in whom the phenotype has been carefully dissected, and systematically reviewing all published cases of ophthalmoplegic migraine in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) era, this review sets out to clearly define the syndrome and discuss possible etiologies. We found that in up to one-third of patients, the headache was not migrainous or associated with migrainous symptoms. In three-quarters of the cases involving the third nerve, there was focal nerve thickening and contrast enhancement on MRI. Observational data suggest systemic corticosteroids may be beneficial acutely. The etiology remains unclear, but may involve recurrent bouts of demyelination of the oculomotor nerve. "Ophthalmoplegic migraine" is a misnomer in that it is probably not a variant of migraine but rather a recurrent cranial neuralgia. A more appropriate name might be "ophthalmoplegic cranial neuropathy."

Ophthalmoplegic migraine

INTRODUCTION

According to the International Headache Society, ophthalmoplegic migraine is recurrent attacks of headache with migrainous characteristics associated with paresis of one or more ocular cranial nerves (commonly the third nerve) in the absence of any demonstrable intracranial lesion. We report a patient with typical clinical features of ophthalmoplegic migraine.

CASE REPORT

A 21-year-old man had right frontal throbbing headaches recurring twice a year. His headache lasted for 1 to 5 days and was followed by slight drooping of his eyelid and double vision that lasted for approximately 3 months. On examination he had ptosis and adduction paralysis of the right eye. Brain MRI revealed a thickened, enhancing right oculomotor nerve. He was treated with methylprednisolone 1000 mg/d IV for 5 days. Only 2 weeks later, clinical improvement was observed and 3 months later the oculomotor nerve enhancement resolved.

CONCLUSION

Ophthalmoplegic migraine has been considered to have a microvascular, ischemic etiology, but more recently it has been reclassified as a demyelinating condition affecting the oculomotor. To our knowledge, this is the first ophthalmoplegic migraine case presented pretreatment and post-treatment with clinical photographic documentation and an MRI showing enduring thickening of the oculomotor nerve although symptoms and contrast enhancement resolved.

Ophthalmoplegia with migraine in adults: is it ophthalmoplegic migraine?

OBJECTIVE

Ophthalmoplegic migraine (OM) is a rare disorder characterized by recurrent oculomotor nerve palsy in children, following migraine headaches. We report 62 adults, seen consecutively, who developed acute ophthalmoplegia with severe attacks of migraine over a 10-year (1996-2005) period. An overwhelming majority of these patients had an antecedent worsening in severity of migraine headaches, before the ophthalmoplegic attack.

METHODS

Sixty-two patients, aged 15-68 years, with an acute attack of OM underwent detailed clinical, biochemical, and neuroradiological evaluation.

RESULTS

There were 62 patients with 86 attacks of OM. Whereas 48 patients had a single attack, 14 had 2 or more attacks, fulfilling the International Headache Society criteria for probable and definite OM, respectively. At presentation, isolated abducens, oculomotor, and trochlear nerve involvements were seen in 35 (56.5%), 21 (33.9%), and 5 (8.1%) patients, respectively. One patient had simultaneous involvement of 3rd and 6th nerves. Fifty-one (82.3%) patients exhibited an antecedent worsening in severity of migraine, before developing ophthalmoplegia during (59/95.2%) or within 24 hours (3/4.8%) of a severe migraine attack, respectively. Detailed biochemistry and cranial neuroimaging were normal. No case had any nerve enhancement. Use of steroids hastened recovery (P < .05).

CONCLUSION

We conclude: (1) OM in adults is characterized by single attacks of ophthalmoplegia in a great majority of patients; and (2) 6th nerve involvement occurs commonly. Our results indicate that moving OM to the chapter on cranial neuralgias in the second edition of the International Headache Classification may be premature, since nerve palsy occurred during a severe migraine attack in all patients.

Ophthalmoplegic migraine: still a diagnostic dilemma?

The term ophthalmoplegic migraine (OM) was first coined by Charcot in 1890. This condition was included as a migraine variant in the first Headache Classification of the International Headache Society in 1988. Based on postcontrast enhancement seen on MRI in some patients who were diagnosed with OM, there was a suggestion that this could be an inflammatory/demyelinating disorder; therefore, it was moved out of the "migraine" group and repositioned as a "neuralgia" in the revised 2004 classification. However, there have been subsequent reports in the literature in which there was no enhancement on postcontrast MRI. Based on a survey of literature on OM in the post-imaging era, this article highlights the fact that enhancement on magnetic resonance is not a sine qua non for the diagnosis of OM. Some diagnostic dilemmas are discussed, and a protocol is included for documentation of clinical findings in future case reports on a prospective basis. Hopefully, this will help in modification of the criteria, better understanding the etiology, correct diagnosis, and determining appropriate treatment for OM.