CRANIAL NERVE III PALSY

Course overview

THE THIRD CRANIAL NERVE IS ALSO KNOWN AS OCULOMOTOR NERVE AND HAS TWO MAJOR COMPONENTS, THE OUTER PARASYMPATHETIC FIBERS THAT SUPPLY THE CILIARY MUSCLES AND THE SPHINCTER PUPILLAE INNER SOMATIC FIBERS THAT SUPPLY THE LEVATOR PALPEBRAE SUPERIORIS IN THE EYELID (WHICH RETRACTS THE UPPER EYELID) AND THE FOUR EXTRAOCULAR MUSCLES (SUPERIOR, MIDDLE, INFERIOR RECTI, AND INFERIOR OBLIQUE). THIRD NERVE PALSY HAS A VARIETY OF ETIOLOGIES AND CAN BE A HARBINGER OF SERIOUS PATHOLOGY. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ETIOLOGY, PRESENTATION, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF CN III PALSY AND REVIEWS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING, DIAGNOSING, AND MANAGING THE CONDITION.