Acute Bilateral Oculomotor Nerve Palsy in an Adult Patient with Neisseria meningitidis

A 69-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a fever, dizziness, and headache caused by Neisseria meningitidis. After ceftriaxone was administered, she suddenly developed bilateral oculomotor nerve palsy. Intra-orbital magnetic resonance imaging using appropriate sequences revealed that her bilateral third intracranial nerves were enlarged and enhanced. She achieved complete recovery by two months after additional short-term treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin and methylprednisolone. Although intracranial nerve disorders that result from bacterial meningitis are most frequently reported in children, it is noteworthy that it can also cause focal intracranial nerve inflammation with ophthalmoparesis in N. meningitidis infection in adults.