Acquired Brown's syndrome in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

A 27 year old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) developed vertical diplopia with an apparent bilateral inferior oblique muscle palsy, resulting in a limitation of elevation of the globe in adduction. It resolved with systemic steroid treatment. A transient tenosynovitis affecting the superior oblique tendons was the probable underlying pathological mechanism. This is the first described case of Brown's syndrome associated with SLE.