Reminder of important clinical lesson BMJ Case Reports: first published as 10.1136/bcr-2017-221677 on 19 September 2017. Downloaded from CASE REPORT Anisocoria secondary to inadvertent contact with scopolamine patch Janki Shah,1 Alice Jiang,1 Zoltan Fekete2 1Graduate Medical Education, SUMMARY CASE PRESENTATION Orange Regional Medical A unilaterally fixed mydriasis, also known as a A healthy 30-year-old female nurse who presented Center, Middletown, New York, ’blown pupil,’ is considered an ominous sign to the emergency department complaining of USA concerning for intracranial pathology. Causes of sudden onset of blurry vision in the right eye. She 2Crystal Run Healthcare, Rock Hill, New York, USA anisocoria can range from benign to immediately was noted to have right unilateral mydriasis without life-threatening. When a patient presents with any other neurological deficits. The patient had no Correspondence to anisocoria, the concern for a fatal diagnosis leads significant medical history, denied any history of Ms. Janki Shah, the clinician to obtain numerous tests, many of trauma or use of any new medications, aside from jshah4@ student. touro. edu which may be unnecessary. The authors present a her chronic oral contraceptive use. The patient case of a healthy woman in her 30s who presented denied any smoking or alcohol consumption. Her Accepted 7 September 2017 with an acute unilateral mydriasis likely secondary family history was unremarkable. to inadvertent contact with a scopolamine patch. On For fear of a stroke in such a young healthy examination, she had no other neurological deficits. patient, a Code Neuro was immediately called. Further investigation did not reveal any abnormality. Clinically relevant differential diagnoses to rule In the event of a patient with an isolated mydriasis out in this type of presentation included cerebro- in an otherwise healthy and conversant patient with vascular accident, carotid artery dissection, cere- no other neurological deficits, it is essential to rule bral aneurysm, multiple sclerosis and drug-induced out other causes before pursuing aggressive and mydriasis. CT of the head without contrast, CT unnecessary testing and treatment. angiogram of the head and MRI of brain were copyright. all obtained and negative for any abnormalities. Ophthalmology was consulted. Patient’s consensual response of the left eye was preserved, however, BACKGROUND the right eye remained non-reactive to light and In the era of modern medicine, tissue plasmin- dilated at 5.5 mm. However, in a dim/dark room, ogen activator (tPA), has made ground-breaking patient’s left eye dilated from 2.7 to 3.1 mm, and advances in the treatment of acute ischemic the right eye pupil remained unchanged. Extraoc- stroke. In the suspicion of stroke, time is of ular muscles were intact; funduscopic examination http://casereports.bmj.com/ the essence for tPA administration, because it is was normal and visual acuity was 20/25 in both the most effective within 3–4.5 hours of the onset right and left eyes. After multiple tests and several of symptoms. However, administration of tPA interviews, the patient recalled having contact with to ineligible patients can lead to catastrophic a patient in the hospital with a scopolamine patch. consequences, such as increased risk of haem- She insisted that she washed her hand immedi- 1 orrhage. Due to the time constraints, health- ately after this activity and did not recall touching care providers may have stroke high on the the patch. However, despite not having direct differential, making it easier to overlook other contact with the scopolamine patch, the patient diagnoses that can mimic a stroke. Therefore, it could have contacted contaminated bedding and is essential to form a differential that contains rubbed her eye. Within 2 days of the onset of symp- on 29 September 2021 by guest. Protected all possible etiologies that may contribute to a toms, patient’s mydriasis improved and no longer presentation that mimics a stroke. complained of blurry vision. The scopolamine patch, a commonly used This unique presentation of pharmacologi- medication in the hospital, has been noted cally induced mydriasis emphasises the importance to cause mydriasis in patients and healthcare of obtaining a thorough and detailed history to workers.2 Accidental ocular contamination evade expensive, unnecessary testing and misdiag- secondary to scopolamine has been documented nosis, and highlights the importance of recognising in various case reports.2–8 This patient’s symp- this rare side effect of a commonly used medication. toms at first appeared worrisome for a stroke The suspicion for a pharmacological cause should which ultimately led to numerous tests and especially be heightened for patients who work in T o cite: Shah J, Jiang A, imaging. However, by the end of her hospital healthcare. Fekete Z. BMJ Case Rep stay, it was a detailed history that guided the Published Online First: [please include Day Month management of the patient, which ultimately INVESTIGATIONS Year]. doi:10.1136/bcr-2017- saved the patient from potentially harmful As per protocol for a Code Neuro, a CT of the 221677 therapy (i.e., tPA). brain without contrast was done first to rule out Shah J, et al. BMJ Case Rep 2017. doi:10.1136/bcr-2017-221677 1 Reminder of important clinical lesson BMJ Case Reports: first published as 10.1136/bcr-2017-221677 on 19 September 2017. Downloaded from the presence of an ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke. There was There are several case reports of inadvertent pharmacolog- no evidence of stroke on CT. MRI of the brain was obtained to ical mydriasis due to scopolamine (hyoscine).2–8 Many of these rule out possible multiple sclerosis or vascular anomalies. Lastly, cases, an MRI or CT scan were obtained to investigate the a CTA of the head and neck was done to rule out carotid dissec- cause of the anisocoria, however in only one case, imaging tion and that was found to be negative as well. was cancelled as the patient recalled coming into contact with a scopolamine patch. A similar case report discussed a DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS 46-year-old female nurse who worked in a stroke ward who Evaluation of a unilateral mydriasis can be a diagnostic challenge also presented with sudden onset unilateral mydriasis. With and is considered a neurological emergency. Differential diag- further history, she recalled applying a hyoscine (scopolamine) noses include cerebrovascular accident, oculomotor nerve palsy, patch to a patient in the morning.2 Another case report revealed Adie tonic pupil, previous trauma/eye surgery, cerebral aneu- a 42-year-old male with progressive blurred vision who had rysm, multiple sclerosis, topical/systemic drug-induced mydriasis initially denied any topical eye medications, but later remem- or exposure to plant toxins.2 9–11 Through the patient’s history, bered that he used atropine 1% which believed were lubricant physical examination and thorough investigation, these diag- eye drops.7 Glassner and Skiendzielewski, also described inad- noses were excluded as they would present with other neuro- vertent ocular contamination of scopolamine patches in air logical symptoms. medical personnel.6 A 28-year-old male with blurry vision and unilateral mydriasis had been wearing a scopolamine patch TREATMENT to prevent motion sickness but inadvertently caused contam- The patient did not require any treatment for the condition. ination to his eye.6 Aside from scopolamine, there have also been cases of inadvertent contact with anticholinergic agents OUTCOME AND FOLLOW-UP that also lead to anisocoria. Examples include ipratropium use Following thorough workup, including neurology and ophthal- in critically ill patients and deadly nightshade (Atropa bella- 9 12 mology consult, the patient was discharged from the emergency donna). department and given appropriate follow-up with both the As seen in this case and previously documented cases, unilat- neurologist and ophthalmologist. The patient’s mydriasis and eral mydriasis in the absence of any focal neurological deficits blurry vision improved within 2 days of onset of the symptoms should lead the differential away from stroke and tPA admin- without any need for medical intervention. It has been reported istration and towards pharmacological causes, which resolve 2 10 that mydriasis caused by scopolamine or hyoscine normally spontaneously without medical intervention. Healthcare resolves spontaneously within 24–72 hours.2 3 However, its workers and providers should be aware of accidental ocular effects can last anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks.4 contamination with these anticholinergic agents in isolated copyright. mydriasis. This case exemplifies thorough history taking is still DISCUSSION essential to avoid unnecessary investigation, patient anxiety 1 Acute unilateral mydriasis is a neurological emergency and and potentially harmful therapy. warrants immediate and thorough examination.2 10 However, it was realised that this patient had been in contact with an indi- Learning points vidual who had a scopolamine patch. Scopolamine, a belladonna alkaloid, a frequently used medication in the hospital setting, is ► It is important to recognise neurological symptoms that http://casereports.bmj.com/ most commonly used for motion sickness, prevention of postop- mimic a stroke before considering administering tPA. erative nausea/vomiting, vertigo, dizziness and drooling,2 4 5 acts ► Healthcare providers should be aware of accidental ocular as a competitive antagonist