Acute unilateral oculomotor nerve palsy associated with anti-GQ1b antibody: A case report

An eighteen-year-old woman visited our hospital because of right ptosis and diplopia one week after suffering from a common cold. Neurological examination solely revealed incomplete right oculomotor nerve palsy. Urinary examination, CBC, serological examination, blood biochemistry, and MRI of the brain showed no abnormalities. After adrenocorticosteroid hormone mini-pulse therapy (methylprednisolone 500 mg/day × 3 days), the right oculomotor nerve palsy rapidly improved and she had full recovery at three months post-treatment. Serum IgG anti-GQ1b antibody was markedly elevated at the onset, and became negative after one month. It was suspected that anti-GQ1b antibody was responsible for the unilateral oculomotor nerve palsy in this case and might be one of the causes of the acute unilateral oculomotor nerve palsy of unknown origin.