Tolosa-Hunt syndrome is an idiopathic granulomatous disease that causes painful oculomotor (especially sixth nerve) palsies.

Rare causes of isolated sixth nerve damage include Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and Tolosa-Hunt syndrome.

Tolosa-Hunt syndrome is a variant of orbital pseudotumor in which there is extension into the cavernous sinus through the superior orbital fissure.

It is the most common painful orbital mass in the adult population, and is associated with proptosis, cranial nerve palsy (Tolosa-Hunt syndrome), uveitis, and retinal detachment.

He served on the American Board of Neurological Surgery, which oversees graduate medical education in that specialty, wrote a textbook about the Tolosa-Hunt syndrome and articles for professional journals.

Infections (meningitis, herpes zoster), demyelination (multiple sclerosis), diabetic neuropathy and cavernous sinus disease can affect the fourth nerve, as can orbital tumors and Tolosa-Hunt syndrome.

The exact cause of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome is not known, but the disorder is thought to be associated with inflammation of the areas behind the eyes (cavernous sinus and superior orbital fissure).

Working with a Spanish pathologist, Dr. Eduardo Tolosa, Dr. Hunt defined the Tolosa-Hunt syndrome of ophthalmoplegia, a painful paralysis of the eye muscles.

Ophthalmoplegia Syndrome Ophthalmoplegia, Painful Ophthalmoplegia, Recurrent None Tolosa-Hunt syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by severe headaches and pain around the sides and back of the eye, along with weakness and paralysis (ophthalmoplegia) of certain eye muscles.

In Tolosa-Hunt syndrome, findings include enhancement and fullness of the anterior cavernous sinus and superior orbital fissure in T1WI with contrast, while MRA may show narrowing of cavernous sinus internal carotid artery (ICA).