Transient Tournay's pupillary phenomenon in a patient with a vertebrobasilar TIA

摘要

The occurrence of anisocoria during lateral gaze was first described in 1907 by Gianelli and later by Tournay [1,2]. It was called Tournay's pupillary phenomenon (TPP). During lateral gaze, the pupil of the abducted eye becomes larger than the pupil of the adducted eye. It is considered a rare but physiological phenomenon without clinical significance, which is usually present bilaterally and long-lasting [2]. Here, we describe a case with a vertebrobasilar TIA, who showed temporary TPP simultaneously with other vertebrobasilar signs, that all disappeared within 12h. This is the first case in which TPP is transient and considered to be pathologic. We speculate about possible mechanisms for this intriguing sign.