mRNA vaccines have been a critical tool in combating the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and demonstrated a high safety profile. However, rare cases of isolated oculomotor nerve palsy following vaccination have been reported. These few reported cases can be divided into two groups based on symptom onset: immediate and delayed. While most reported cases involving Pfizer and Moderna vaccines occurred within the first few days of vaccination, a few cases with delayed onset have also been described. We present a unique case of a patient experiencing isolated, unilateral oculomotor nerve palsy 14 days after receiving a Moderna booster shot. Notably, our case and a previously reported case of 17-day onset case share the interesting finding of positive ganglioside antibodies. This not only highlights the potential for unusual occurrences following COVID-19 vaccination but also opens up avenues for exploring the underlying mechanisms behind these events.
Keywords: asialo-gm1 antibody; covid-19; moderna; oculomotor nerve (cn iii) palsy; pfizer.
Copyright © 2024, Ozobu et al.