Journal of Audiology & Otology

The Korean Audiology Society (대한청각학회)
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Sixth Cranial Nerve Palsy and Vertigo Caused by Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency

  • Paik, Seung Won (Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine) ;
  • Yang, Hui Joon (Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine) ;
  • Seo, Young Joon (Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2019.07.31
  • Accepted : 2019.08.29
  • Published : 2020.07.20
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Abstract

A 38-year-old woman presented with a week's history of binocular horizontal double vision and acute vertigo with gaze-induced nystagmus. We considered a diagnosis of one of the six syndromes of the sixth cranial nerve and evaluated several causes. She had history of severe anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, and hypertension. Magnetic resonance imaging with angiography showed stenosis of the right vertebral artery and hyperintensity on both basal ganglia. As we describe here, we should consider vertebrobasilar insufficiency as a cause for sixth cranial nerve palsy if a patient has high risk for microvascular ischemia, even in the absence of acute brain hemorrhage or infarction.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (NRF-2019K1A3A1A47000527).

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