[A case of ophthalmoplegic migraine with cerebral aneurysm]

Abstract

A case of ophthalmoplegic migraine with cerebral aneurysm is reported. A 47-year-old female with a 17-year history of migraine was admitted. She had three attacks of severe migrainous headache accompanied with nausea and vomiting within three weeks. Soon after the third attack, she noticed diplopia and left blepharoptosis. Lumbar puncture revealed no hemorrhage but the cerebral angiogram demonstrated an aneurysm at the junction of the left internal carotid artery and the posterior communicating artery. Operation revealed that the oculomotor nerve was not compressed by the aneurysm. But the oculomotor nerve had an indentation produced by the posterior communicating artery at 1-2 mm distal to the midbrain. A piece of sponge was then inserted between the nerve and the responsible artery. After the operation, her oculomotor nerve palsy was gradually improved and she discharged with mild anisocoria. The exact pathogenesis of ophthalmoplegia in ophthalmoplegic migraine is still unknown. In our case, cross compression of the oculomotor nerve with dilated posterior communicating artery seemed to be the cause of ophthalmoplegia.