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Abstracts of the 8th Meeting of the Italian Peripheral Nerve Study Group: 56
Author(s) -
Cocito D,
Ciaramitaro P,
Isoardo G,
Barbero P,
Pipieri A,
Poglio F,
Durelli L
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of the peripheral nervous system
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1529-8027
pISSN - 1085-9489
DOI - 10.1046/j.1529-8027.2003.00056.x
Subject(s) - medicine , antidromic , sural nerve , surgery , peripheral , polyneuropathy , nerve conduction study , polyradiculoneuropathy , nerve conduction , electrophysiology , pediatrics , guillain barre syndrome
OBJECTIVE: Interferon is regarded as a promising treatment option for patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. However, sporadic cases of axonal PNP and one case of CIDP after treatment with Interferon (INF) alfa‐2a were reported. The objective of this study was to test the onset of PNP in patients affected by relapsing‐remitting MS after treatment with INF beta‐1b. METHODS: from the OPTIMS trial we have selected 23 patients (9 males, 14 females; mean age 30.5; range 22–50) with diagnosis of relapsing‐remitting SM in treatment with INF beta‐1b (8–12.000.000 UI). In these patients bilateral motor nerve conduction study (NCS) of peroneal, tibial, median, ulnar nerves and antidromic sensory NCS of sural, median and ulnar nerves were performed according standard techniques. All patients (23/23) were submitted to neurophysiological tests before the treatment (T0), 16/23 (7 drop out) after six months (T1) and after nine months of therapy (T2). RESULTS: at T0 no patient showed electrophysiological signs indicating PNP; after six and nine months of therapy (T1 and T2) no patient submitted to NCS showed alterations in the PNS either. CONCLUSIONS: all tested patients showed absence of electrophysiological signs of PNP as side effects after one year of treatment with high dose of INF beta‐1b.