USMLE Step 1,
Question #575
A 32-year-old woman with no significant medical history presents to the clinic with visual complaints. On a recent trip to Arizona, she suffered an acute episode of visual impairment. She experienced blurred and double vision, which made it difficult for her to drive. On visual examination, her vision is 20/20 in both eyes. When she is asked to look to the right, her left eye only reaches midline while her right eye shows a beating nystagmus. Testing for visual convergence is intact. Based on the clinical history and physical examination, what is the most likely cause of her complaints?
A. Amaurosis fugax
B. Cataract
C. Multiple sclerosis
D. Optic neuritis
E. Panophthalmitis
See Explanation
C is the correct answer
The patient's history is consistent with a lesion in the medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF), The MLF connects the nuclei of CNIII (oculomotor) and CNVI (abducens) to facilitate coordination of saccadic eye movements. Lesions in the MLF prevent this coordination from occurring, causing the adducting eye to move only to the midline, while the abducting eye will have nystagmus towards the adducting eye (towards its own midline). Demyelinating lesions in the MLF are a common early manifestation of multiple sclerosis (especially in a young woman with no other disease processes).
(Choice A) Amaurosis fugax is a transient monocular vision loss, generally caused by a thrombus or emboli. The patient has 20/20 acuity, which makes this unlikely.
(Choice B) Cataract is a gradual opacification of the lens of the eye. It does not present acutely as in this patient, and acuity is affected.
(Choice D) Optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic nerve, which is the most common presentation of multiple sclerosis in young women. Presentation is acute, often painful loss, partial loss of visual acuity, and often color vision is affected. This patient should be evaluated for optic neuritis, but her presentation does not suggest it.
(Choice E) Panophthalmitis is an acute, suppurative (neutrophil-dense) often overwhelming inflammation of the inner eye tissue and sclerae.
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