COVID-19 and abducens nerve palsy in a 9-year-old girl—case report

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Although many reports have detailed a range of neurological symptoms in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients, studies of neuro-ophthalmological manifestations are still scarce. Case presentation: We report a 9-year-old girl with abducens nerve palsy after COVID-19 with no evidence of other neurological disease on neuroimaging. At 2-month follow-up clinical conditions were improved. Conclusions: The palsy may have occurred due to a possible post-infectious immune-mediated mechanism underlying the neuropathy, as opposed to direct viral infiltration. Despite being rare, this complication must be taken into account.