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Sural sparing pattern discriminates Guillain–Barré syndrome from its mimics
Author(s) -
Derksen Angelika,
Ritter Christian,
Athar Parveen,
Kieseier Bernd C.,
Mancias Pedro,
Hartung HansPeter,
Sheikh Kazim A.,
Lehmann Helmar C.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.24226
Subject(s) - guillain barre syndrome , medicine , differential diagnosis , demyelinating disorder , medical diagnosis , sural nerve , electrodiagnosis , multiple sclerosis , spinal cord , nerve conduction , pediatrics , pathology , immunology , psychiatry
: Electrodiagnostic features of demyelination are essential for establishing the diagnosis in demyelinating subtypes of Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS), but they may also occur in disorders that mimic GBS clinically. Information about their frequency in GBS mimics is sparse. Methods : Evaluation of electrodiagnostic features from 38 patients with suspected GBS in whom the diagnosis was later refuted (GBS mimics). Their diagnostic accuracy was analyzed by comparison with nerve conduction studies (NCS) from 73 confirmed GBS patients. Results : Disorders that mimicked GBS clinically at the time of hospital admission included other inflammatory, metabolic, toxic, or infectious neuropathies and spinal cord disorders. The sural sparing pattern was the most specific electrodiagnostic feature for demyelinating GBS. Conclusions : Common electrodiagnostic abnormalities in early demyelinating GBS do not usually exclude other rare differential diagnoses. An exception to this is the sural sparing pattern described here, which strongly supports the diagnosis of demyelinating GBS. Muscle Nerve 50 : 780–784, 2014