Serial nerve conduction studies provide insight into the pathophysiology of Guillain-Barré and Fisher syndromes
Autor(es): Shahrizaila Nortina,Goh Khean Jin,Kokubun Norito,Abdullah Suhailah,Yuki Nobuhiro
Resumo: The electrodiagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) can be broadly divided into acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) and acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN). Fisher syndrome (FS) is a variant of GBS, although the underlying neuropathy of FS has yet to be established. Serial nerve conduction studies (NCS) can provide further insight into the likely pathophysiology by further subtyping of GBS and FS. We present a patient with an initial diagnosis of AIDP in whom repeated NCS revealed the AMAN variant. This led us to investigate serial NCS in five patients with GBS, FS and FS/GBS overlap presenting over a period of a year. Three patients with AIDP showed a gradual increase in distal motor latencies during the acute phase of illness. NCS of two patients with FS and FS/GBS overlap showed no demyelinating features suggesting underlying axonal neuropathy in this group of patients. The importance of serial NCS in establishing the underlying pattern of neuropathy in GBS and FS is further emphasized in this study. Larger studies incorporating serial NCS are required to confirm the observations seen in our case series especially when pathological studies are often not justified in this group of patients.
Palavras-Chave: Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy; Acute motor axonal neuropathy; Fisher syndrome; Guillain-Barré syndrome; Nerve conduction study
Imprenta: Journal of the Neurological Sciences, v. 309, n. 1-2, p. 26-30, 2011
Identificador do objeto digital: 10.1016/j.jns.2011.07.042
Descritores: Guillain-Barre Syndrome - Cell ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome - Cytopathology
Data de publicação: 2011
