Focal Area of Contrast Enhancement at the Third Cranial Nerve Emergence Related to Parainfective Neuritis in an 18-Month-Old Girl

We report the case of an 18-month-old girl who presented a complete III right cranial nerve paralysis which disappeared spontaneously in approximately three weeks without any medical therapy. Magnetic Resonance (MR) investigation performed three days after paralysis onset showed a focal area of contrast enhancement at the third cranial nerve emergence. MR performed three months later, with an absence of symptoms, showed a less evident but persistent contrast enhancement at the cranial nerve emergence. We briefly discuss the causes of inflammatory nerve involvement since a parainfective cause of nerve paralysis was implicated.