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Cranial Nerve VI - Abducens Nerve
Cranial Nerve VI - Abducens Nerve
← Back to Search Results Cranial Nerve VI: Abducens Nerve LAST UPDATED: 11TH APRIL 2019
ANATOMY / CRANIAL NERVE LESIONS / HEAD AND NECK / ORBIT AND EYE Bookmarked
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The abducens nerve (CN VI) is a motor nerve supplying the lateral rectus muscle which acts to abduct the eye.
Clinical e ects of Convergent squint with inability to abduct eye, horizontal diplopia
injury
Causes of injury Idiopathic, brain tumours, extradural haematoma, cavernous sinus disease, diabetes mellitus, Wernicke-
Korsako syndrome
KEYWORDS
Anatomical Course
Abducens Nerve Cranial Nerves
The nerve originates in the pons and exits the brainstem from the inferior pontine sulcus to travel in the subarachnoid space. It traverses the
RELATED TOPICS cavernous sinus where it runs alongside the internal carotid artery, and enters the orbit through the superior orbital ssure.
Something wrong?
ORIGIN S OF RIGHT OCULAR MUSCLES AND NERVES E NTE RING BY THE SUP E RIO R O RBITAL F ISSURE . (IMAGE BY HEN RY VAN DYKE CARTER [PUBLIC DOMA IN] , V IA
WIKIMEDIA COMMON S)
Assessment
The abducens nerve should be assessed together with the oculomotor nerve (CN III) and the trochlear nerve (CN IV) by testing ocular
movements.
Idiopathic
Diabetes, hypertension
Pontine stroke
Extradural haematoma
Demyelination
Wernicke's encephalopathy
Giant cell arteritis
Tumours (e.g. cerebellopontine angle tumours)
Basilar artery aneurysm
Cavernous sinus disease
Infections e.g. subacute meningitis, tuberculosis
Trauma (up to one-third of cases)
CN VI palsies result in a convergent squint at rest (eye turned inwards) with inability to abduct the eye because of unopposed action of the
rectus medialis. The patient complains of horizontal diplopia when looking towards the a ected side. With complete paralysis, the eye cannot
abduct past the midline.