The Etiology and Clinical Feature of the Third, Fourth, and Sixth Cranial Nerve Palsy

40 patients who were diagnosed as the palsy of the third, fourth and sixth cranial nerve at Seoul national university hospital, were evaluated to reveal the etiology and clinical feature. The palsy of sixth cranial nerve is most common, and those of third and fourth cranial nerve followed it. Trauma was the most common cause of the palsy of the third, fourth, and sixth cranial nerve. Most of the palsy of the third cranial nerve involved both upper and lower branch, and aberrant regeneration was observed at 8 cases and its major cause was also trauma. The palsy of sixth cranial nerve was more frequently accompanied other cranial nerve palsy than those of the other two. Average recovery rate was 44.8% and, that of the sixth cranial nerve was higher than those of the other two.

Neuro-ophthalmologic Evaluation of the Third, Fourth and Sixth Cranial Nerve Paralysis

A series of 250 patients with paralysis of the third, fotrth and sixth cranial nerves, who were diagnosed at Kyung Hee University Hospital, was analyzed. All patients with a neuroophthalmologic problem who visited the Dept. of Ophthalmology or had a consultation from another were included. There were 116 cases(46.4%) of sixth nerve paralysis, 88 cases(35.2%) of third nerve paralysis, 24 cases(9.6%) of fourth nerve paralysis, and 22 cases(8.8%) of multiple cranial nerve involvement. The etiologic incidence of the third, fourth and sixth cranial nerve paralysis revealed that trauma was the most frequent(86 cases); other causes were undetermined(59 cases), vascular(37 cases) and tumor(17 cases), in that order. The most common type of recovery was with the fourth nerve paralysis(41.7%).