CN 6 injury causes failure of ipsilateral eye abduction.
Permission from Dr. Schwartzman adapt/reuse photograph within this image.
6th Nerve Palsy
The sixth nerve has a long intracranial course and is involved in many conditions that affect the base of the skull.
CN 6 injury causes failure of ipsilateral eye abduction.
CN 6 nuclear lesions can affect the initiation of movement of the opposite eye, as well - see the CN 6 nuclear lesion image for details.
Causes include:
- Meningitis
- Metastatic lesions and skull-based tumors
- Intraparenchymal involvement occurs with pontine strokes (often in conjunction with a nuclear seventh nerve palsy), the Millard–Gubler syndrome, or with Locked-In Syndrome.
- In isolation or with a contralateral hemiparesis it is Ramon’s syndrome.
- It may be trapped unilaterally or bilaterally under the petroclinoid ligament (Dorello’s canal at the petrous apex) with acute increased intracranial pressure (a false localizing sign).