Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome; clinical and brain MRI features and treatment

Abstract

Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome (THS) is an idiopathic condition characterized by periorbital and hemicranial pain, ipsilateral oculomotor and sixth cranial nerve involvement, good response to steroids, granulomatous inflammation of the cavernous sinus or the top of the orbita. A 25 year- old- male patient presented with severe burning burn pain near the left eye with double vision. The left eye exhibited semiptosis, limited outward gaze, and difficulty in the downward outward gaze. No history of trauma or drug use was reported. Cranial Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) showed thickening cavernous sinus walls to the left, while contrasted MRI sections suggested inflammation as indicated by intense staining. Cerebral arterial and venous angiography were normal. Parenteral treatment with 1mg/kg methylprednisolon commenced. The pain passed on the third day of treatment. Ophthalmoplegia began improving in the third week. The clinical symptoms were completely over after the third month of the clinic. The pain did not recur after corticotheraphy started. The cranial MRI of the patient was reviewed in a comparative perspective in the first and third months of the clinic. Inflammation was observed to get better. THS should always be considered in painful ophthalmoplegia cases. Cranial MRI towards the cavernous sinus, in particular, would suffice for diagnosis, provided that the vertex of orbita is not affected.