Table 3.
Oculomotor nerve (III) enhancement was detected in 1.1% (2/15), trigeminal nerve (V) enhancement was detected in 2.7% (5/15), abducens nerve (VI) enhancement in 2.2% (4/15), vestibulocochlear or facial nerve (VII/VIII) enhancement in 1.6% (3/15), and vagal nerve (X) enhancement in 0.5% (1/15).
| Pat.No. | CN involved | Side of CNE | Duration of CNE | REZ involvement on T2 | Lesion counts | Number of analyzed MRIs | MRI Follow-up [months] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T2; Brainstem | CEL; Total brain | |||||||
| 12 | III | Bilateral | NDA | No | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10.8 |
| 14 | III | Left | NDA | Yes | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2.4 |
| 2 | V | bilateral | >5 months | Right: yes, left: no | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0.6 |
| 7 | V | Left>right | <98 days | Left: yes | 2 | 19 | 4 | 14.6 |
| 8 | V | Left>right | >20 months | No | 0 | 0 | 4 | 115.1 |
| 11 | V | Left | <11 months | No | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10.8 |
| 15 | V | Left | >15 months | No | 0 | 1 | 2 | 15.1 |
| 3 | VI | Bilateral | NDA | No | 1 | 1 | 2 | 104.2 |
| 6 | VI | Left>right | >21 months | No | 2 | 3 | 4 | 21.6 |
| 10 | VI | Left | 1st: <12 months; 2nd: <22 months | No | 0 | 2 | 10 | 102.1 |
| 13 | VI | Right | >13 months | No | 0 | 3 | 3 | 42.1 |
| 1 | VII/VIII | Left | 1st: <18 days; 2nd: <12 months | Yes | 3 | 20 | 16 | 106.4 |
| 5 | VII/VIII | Left | <20 months | No | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19.8 |
| 9 | VII/VIII | Right | NDA | No | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1.8 |
| 4 | X | Right | NDA | Yes | 4 | 7 | 3 | 28.5 |
CNE was bilateral in 20% (3/15), left-sided in 40% (6/15), right-sided in 20% (3/15), and bilateral but left-dominated in 20% (3/15). Estimations for the duration of CNE were not available for 33% (5/15) because CNE was present only in the last available MRI scan in these individuals. A CNE duration of >5 months was present in 7% (1/15), and a duration of >12 months in 27% (4/15). Patient No. 10 and No. 1 displayed two episodes of CNE on follow-up MRI. In patients with CNE, MS plaques near the root entry zone (REZ) of the affected CN were depicted on T2 or FLAIR images in 33% (5/15) of MS patients. In patients with CNE, a median of one lesion (0–2) was detected in the brainstem (mesencephalon, pons, and medulla oblongata) and two (1–5) contrast-enhancing lesions (CEL) in the total neurocranium. In patients with CNE, two MRIs were analyzed in 53% (8/15), three MRIs in 13% (2/15), four MRIs in 20% (3/15), ten MRIs and 16 MRIs each in 7% (1/15). The median follow-up period for individuals with CNE spanned 19.8 months (10.8–102.1).