Bilateral abducens nerve palsies from clivus chordoma.
An 87-year-old male complaining of horizontal diplopia of five months duration was found to have bilateral abducens nerve palsies. The remainder of the neurologic examination was unremarkable, but neuroradiologic investigation disclosed a lesion involving the sella and sphenoid sinus, with erosion of the upper aspect of the clivus. A large chordoma was found at trans-sphenoidal surgery. This presentation is unique in that the chordoma produced bilateral sixth-nerve palsies with no other neurologic defects.
D000010:Abducens Nerve; D000368:Aged; D002817:Chordoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D004172:Diplopia / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010243:Paralysis / Q000209:etiology*; D011859:Radiography; D012888:Skull Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology