Abstract
Neurophysiological studies usually show some abnormality of nerve conduction in GBS and may eventually show evidence of denervation in severe cases. They are an important adjunct in the diagnosis but even extensive studies may be normal at first in occasional clinically typical cases. Neurophysiological techniques have been particularly valuable in probing the underlying pathophysiology of GBS. Biopsies give information about only a tiny sample of a particular cutaneous sensory nerve which is usually relatively unaffected, while autopsy studies have their own limitations. Albers (1987) has provided an excellent review to which must be added interesting recent studies concerning the pattern of conduction failure (Van der Meche et al. 1988) and the relationship between small distally evoked action potentials and poor prognosis (Cornblath et al. 1988; Winer et al. 1988).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Albers JW (1987) Inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. In: Brown WF, Bolton CF (eds) Clinical electromyography. Butterworths, Boston, pp 211–244
Albers JW, Kelly JJ (1989) Acquired inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies: clinical and electrodiagnostic features. Muscle Nerve 12: 435–451
Albers JW, Donofrio PD, McGonagle TK (1985) Sequential electrodiagnostic abnormalities in acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. Muscle Nerve 6: 504–509
Bannister RG, Sears TA (1962) The changes in nerve conduction in acute idiopathic polyneuritis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 25: 321–328
Brown WF, Feasby TE (1984) Conduction block and denervation in Guillain—Barré polyneuropathy. Brain 107: 219–239
Cornblath DR, Mellits ED, Griffin JW et al. (1988) Motor conduction studies in Guillain—Barré syndrome: description and prognostic value. Ann Neurol 23: 354–359
Daube JR, Kelly JJ, Martin RA (1979) Facial myokymia with polyradiculoneuropathy. Neurology 29: 662–669
Eisen A, Humphreys P (1974) The Guillain—Barré syndrome. A clinical and electrodiagnostic study of 25 cases. Arch Neurol 30: 438–443
Feasby TE, Brown WF, Gilbert JJ, Hahn AF (1985) The pathological basis of conduction block in human neuropathies. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 48: 239–244
Feasby TE, Gilbert JJ, Brown WF et al. (1986) An acute axonal form of Guillain—Barré polyneuropathy. Brain 109: 1115–1126
Gourie-Devi M, Ganapathy GR (1985) Phrenic nerve conduction time in Guillain—Barré syndrome. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 48: 245–249
Hausmanowa-Petrusewicz I, Emeryk B, Rowinska-Marcinska K, Jedrzejowska H (1979) Nerve conduction in the Guillain—Barré—Strohl syndrome. J Neurol 220: 169–184
Kadlubowski M, Hughes RAC, Gregson NA (1984) Spontaneous and experimental neuritis and the distribution of the myelin protein P2 in the nervous system. J Neurochem 42:123–129
Kimura J (1978) Proximal versus distal slowing of motor nerve conduction velocity in the Guillain—Barré syndrome. Ann Neurol 3:344–350
Kimura J, Butzer JF (1975) F wave conduction velocity in Guillain—Barré syndrome. Arch Neurol 32: 524–529
King D, Ashby DW (1976) Conduction velocity in the proximal segments of a motor nerve in the Guillain—Barré syndrome. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 39: 538–544
Lambert EH, Mulder DW (1964) Nerve conduction in the Guillain—Barré syndrome. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 17: 86–93
Martinez-Figueroa A, Hansen S, Ballantyne JP (1977) A quantitative electrophysiological study of acute idiopathic polyneuritis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 40: 156–161
McKhann GM, Griffin JW, Cornblath DR et al. (1988) Plasmapheresis and Guillain—Barré syndrome: analysis of prognostic factors and the effect of plasmapheresis. Ann Neurol 23: 347–353
McLeod JG (1981) Electrophysiological studies in the Guillain—Barré syndrome. Ann Neurol 9: 20–27
McLeod JG, Prineas JW, Walsh JC (1973) The relationship of conduction velocity of pathology in peripheral nerves. In: Desmedt JE (ed) New developments in electromyography and clinical neurophysiology, Vol 2. Karger, Basel, pp 238–258
McLeod JG, Walsh JC, Prineas JW, Pollard JD (1976) Acute idiopathic polyneuritis — a clinical and electrophysiological follow-up study. J Neurol Sci 27: 145–162
Mills KR, Murray NMF (1985) Proximal conduction block in early Guillain—Barré syndrome. Lancet 2: 659
Raman PT, Taori GM (1976) Prognostic significance of electrodiagnostic studies in the Guillain—Barré syndrome. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 39: 163–170
Ropper AH, Cliappa KH (1986) Evoked potentials in Guillain—Barré syndrome. Neurology 36: 587–590
RSumner J (1981) The physiological basis for symptoms in Guillain-Barré syndrome. Ann Neurol 9 Suppl:28–30
Takeuchi H, Takahishi M, Kang J, Keno S, Yamada A, Miki H (1984) The Guillain—Barré syndrome; clinical and electroneuromyographic studies. J Neurol 231: 6–10
Van der Meche FG, Meulstee J, Vermeulen M, Kievit A (1988) Patterns of conduction failure in the Guillain—Barré syndrome. Brain 111: 405–416
Walsh JC, Yiannikas C, McLeod JG (1984) Abnormalities of proximal conduction in acute idiopathic polyneuritis: comparison of short latency evoked potentials and F waves. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 47: 197–200
Wexler I (1983) Sequence of demyelination—remyelination in Guillain—Barré disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 46: 168–174
Winer JB, Hughes RAC, Osmond C (1988) A prospective study of acute idiopathic neuropathy. I Clinical features and their prognostic value. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 51: 605–612
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1990 Springer-Verlag London Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hughes, R.A.C. (1990). Clinical Neurophysiology. In: Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Clinical Medicine and the Nervous System. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3175-5_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3175-5_7
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-3177-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-3175-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive