Since the GBS is presented with a progressive muscle weakness and reduced DTRs, the muscle weakness and stiffness in the extremities suggests a concurrent syringomyelia might be easily overlooked. We report a case of symptomatic syringomyelia coexisting with GBS. Thus, this patient is being diagnosed with both GBS and syringomyelia. The somatosensory evoked potential show sensory pathway defects between both the brachial plexus and the brain stem. The spinal magnetic resonance imaging in the sagittal section revealed a syrinx cavity between the fifth cervical and the first thoracic vertebral segment in the cord. The patient is presented with a new set of symptoms thereafter, which composes of sensory changes in the upper extremities, the urinary dysfunction including frequency and residual urine, spastic bilateral lower extremities, and increased reflexes of the knee and the biceps at follow-up examinations. The patient is being diagnosed with GBS on the basis of the acute clinical course, nerve conduction studies of segmental demyelinating polyneuropathy, and a finding of albuminocytologic dissociation in the cerebrospinal fluid. On neurological examination, the motor power of all limbs are decreased and show absence of deep tendon reflexes (DTRs). A 67-year-old man is being hospitalized due to severe numbness and ascending weakness in all limbs. Syringomyelia is a chronic disease characterized by a cavity extending longitudinally inside the spinal cord. GBS is an acute post-infectious autoimmune disease which is mediated by autoantibodies against the myelin of peripheral nerves. Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and syringomyelia are diseases of different entities.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |