Electrophysiological diagnosis of polyneuropathy of demyelination type. Part I. Electrophysiological features of primarily demyelinative polyneuropathy - results of examination in the acute and residual period of the Guillain-Barré syndrome
Niewiadomska, M.; Wochnik-Dyjas, D.
Electromyography and Clinical Neurophysiology 21(4): 387-401
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0301-150X PMID: 7250035 Document Number: 178447
Repeated electrophysiological examination of 33 patients with acute Guillain-Barre (G-B) syndrome or after it revealed the following features characteristic for primarily demyelinative polyneuropathy: raising of the excitability threshold, slowing down of conduction velocity, blocking of conduction and desynchrony of motor units and evoked potentials. These symptoms involve both motor and sensory nerve fibers. In particular cases all the above mentioned changes may not be present in all the nerves. Diagnostic examination for establishing the demyelinative character of the damage to the peripheral neurons should take into account several nerves along all the accessible segments. In part of the cases of the G-B syndrome denervation symptoms were found which persist in the late residual period in the innervation zones of long nerves when the intensity of demyelination symptoms in general decreases. Only investigations performed exclusively in the acute period of the G-B syndrome seem to be a good electrophysiological model of features of polyneuropathy of demyelinative type.