Isolated Accommodation Palsy Associated with a Pineal Cyst. Report of a Case and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Acquired isolated accommodation palsy is an uncommon problem which can occur either in patients with an organic lesion, in otherwise healthy patients, or in functional, non-organic patients. We report a healthy 9-year-old girl with an acquired isolated accommodation palsy which was believed to be related to a 10 mm pineal cyst compressing the superior colliculi. A literature search (1932–2005) on symptomatic pineal cysts revealed 159 reported cases of symptomatic pineal cysts. Blurred vision was a complaint of 18/159 patients, but only three were documented to have an accommodation palsy. Although rarely symptomatic, pineal cysts might be responsible for accommodation palsy.

Keywords:

• Accommodation palsy
• pineal cyst
• superior colliculus