title: Sixth Nerve Palsy from Cholesterol Granuloma of the Petrous Apex.
abstract: Herein, we report a patient who had an isolated sixth nerve palsy due to a petrous apex cholesterol granuloma. The sixth nerve palsy appeared acutely and then spontaneously resolved over several months, initially suggesting a microvascular origin of the palsy. Subsequent recurrences of the palsy indicated a different pathophysiologic etiology and MRI revealed the lesion at the petrous apex. Surgical resection improved the compressive effect of the lesion at Dorello's canal and clinical improvement was observed. A relapsing-remitting sixth nerve palsy is an unusual presentation of this rare lesion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Lausanne, Jules-Gonin Eye Hospital Fondation Asile des aveugles , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ségolène
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roemer
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maeder
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Section of Neurosurgery, University of Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Roy Thomas
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Lausanne, Jules-Gonin Eye Hospital Fondation Asile des aveugles , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Aki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
keywords: abducens palsy; cholesterol granuloma; diplopia; esotropia; petrous apex tumor; sixth nerve palsy; skull-base tumor