Sphenoid rhinosinusitis associated with abducens nerve palsy – Case report

The cases with sphenoid sinusitis associated with abducens nerve palsy are rarely cited in the literature. We present the case of a 41-year-old patient who was hospitalized for right hemicrania and ipsilateral paresis of the abducens nerve, without any other ENT previous pathology. The ENT, ophthalmologic, neurological and paraclinical evaluations (nasal endoscopy, MRI examination) have established the diagnosis of right sphenoid rhinosinusitis complicated with unilateral abducens nerve palsy. In such cases, it is important to make a differential diagnosis with tumor pathology as well as that of an infection outbreak located intracranially. In this case, the patient’s evolution was favourable after endoscopic surgical treatment of the sphenoid rhinosinusitis.