Bilateral Painful Ophthalmoplegia: A Case of Assumed Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome

Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome: A Review of Diagnostic Criteria and Unresolved Issues

Purpose:

To review the diagnostic criteria for Tolosa–Hunt syndrome (THS) and utility of recent modifications.

Methods:

We searched PubMed for keywords Tolosa Hunt and magnetic resonance imaging. We compared the three editions of International Classification of Headache Disorders and isolated case reports and case series with the assessment of cavernous internal carotid artery (ICA) caliber to find the prevalence of vascular anomalies. We also evaluated cases of THS with the involvement of extracavernous structures and the possible role of idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis (HP). Cases diagnosed falsely as THS were also reviewed for the presence of atypical features and relevance of criterion D. We assessed nonconforming cases (those with normal neuroimaging benign THS) and idiopathic inflammatory orbital pseudotumor (IIPO).

Results:

Vascular abnormalities were found in 36.36% of THS cases. Benign THS may also show changes in ICA caliber. Evidence suggestive of idiopathic HP could be found in 57% of cases with the involvement of extracavernous structures, such as facial nerve and pituitary gland. Both THS and IIPO are steroid-responsive pathologies with similar clinical and radiological features. False-positive diagnosis of THS results from early labeling, based solely on clinical features and symptom resolution after steroid therapy.

Conclusions:

Benign THS may be a result of limitation of resolution of available neuroimaging technique or early testing. Early and late vascular changes can be seen in both THS and its benign variant; some of them are not innocuous. THS may be considered a type of focal idiopathic HP. IIPO may represent an anterior variant of THS. In the absence of histopathological diagnosis, steroid-induced resolution of symptoms should be confirmed radiologically and followed-up.

Recurrent Amaurosis Fugax Secondary to Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome: A Case Report and Review of Phenotypes and Pathology

Tolosa-Hunt syndrome (THS) is a fascinating condition that is ipso facto a cavernous sinus syndome. As such it is associated with inflammation of the cavernous sinus walls and contents with spread to contiguous structures such as the orbital apex and superior orbital fissure. Therefore it does not come as a surprise that there is overlap with the condition of orbital pseudotumor. Furthermore, the typical presentation of THS involves variable affliction of the contents of the cavernous sinus with ocular and facial pain, ophthalmoplegia, facial numbness and Horner syndrome. To our knowledge, we present one of the only reported cases of recurrent amaurosis fugax and transient visual obscurations secondary to THS. Despite being an odd-ball presentation, these manifestations make intuitive sense as we demonstrate luminal narrowing of the right carotid siphon in the setting of cavernous wall enhancement, peri-arteritis of the carotid siphon being well-documented pathologically in the literature. The basis for the transient visual obscurations is more speculative but worthy of further study.

Bilateral Tolosa-Hunt syndrome mimicking pituitary adenoma

The authors report a rare case of bilateral Tolosa-Hunt syndrome, which occurred in a 80-year-old female and remitted spontaneously. Inflammatory lesions were found not only in typical locations, i.e. superior orbital fissures and cavernous sinuses, but also in the pituitary; these imitated gland's macroadenoma in imaging studies.