[Painful, alternating and recurrent ophthalmoplegia. Contribution to the study of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome].

A case of the syndrome of Tolosa-Hunt is presented in which the points of interest were the high number of attacks (four in two years and half) and the varying side of the symptoms with an involvement of the left sixth cranial nerve during the first, third and fourth attacks, and of the right third cranial nerve during the second attack. The trigeminal pain was always on the same side as the ophthalmoplegia. Bilateral carotid and vertebral angiography, orbital phlebography and air encephalography did not reveal anomalies. The sedimentation rate was moderately high during each attack. Corticotherapy begun during the last attack was very effective against the pain, but less so against the paralysis. The authors review the literature concerning this rare syndrome, the cause of which is thought to be an inflammatory process involving the cavernous sinuses.