Abducens Nerve Diseases

Diseases of the sixth cranial (abducens) nerve or its nucleus in the pons. The nerve may be injured along its course in the pons, intracranially as it travels along the base of the brain, in the cavernous sinus, or at the level of superior orbital fissure or orbit. Dysfunction of the nerve causes lateral rectus muscle weakness, resulting in horizontal diplopia that is maximal when the affected eye is abducted and esotropia. Common conditions associated with nerve injury include intracranial hypertension; craniocerebral trauma; ischemia; and infratentorial neoplasms.