Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine

Introduction: Diplopia is an uncommon emergency department (ED) complaint representing only 0.1% of visits, but it has a large differential. One cause is a cranial nerve palsy, which may be from a benign or life-threatening process.

Case Report: A 69-year-old female presented to the ED with two days of diplopia and dizziness. The physical exam revealed a sixth cranial nerve palsy isolated to the left eye. Imaging demonstrated an intracavernous internal carotid artery aneurysm. The patient was treated with embolization by neurointerventional radiology.

Discussion: The evaluation of diplopia is initially divided into monocular, usually from a lens problem, or binocular, indicating an extraocular process. Microangiopathic disease is the most common cause of sixth nerve palsy; however, more serious etiologies may be present, such as an intracavernous internal carotid artery aneurysm, as in the patient described. Imaging modalities may include computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.

Conclusion: Some causes of sixth nerve palsy are benign, while others will require more urgent attention, such as consideration of an intracavernous internal carotid artery aneurysm.