title: Polyneuropathy with osteosclerotic myeloma--POEMS syndrome. A case report.
abstract: A rare form of plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by associated polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein and skin changes has been termed the POEMS syndrome. The pathophysiology is unknown; plasma cell dyscrasia is essential; secondary manifestations are unexplained. We report a 67-year-old man with a 7-month history of progressive weakness and numbness of the legs. Clinical examination revealed sensorimotor polyneuropathy, predominantly affecting the lower extremities, hepatomegaly, and skin haemangiomas. Additional investigations disclosed IgG-lambda monoclonal serum protein, endocrine abnormalities, elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein level and an osteoblastic lesion of the lumbar vertebra. Biopsy of the osteosclerotic vertebra showed a marked lymphoplasmocytic infiltrate. MRI of the liver disclosed two haemangiomas; this association has not been reported previously.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Clinical Center, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vidaković
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simić
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stojisavljević
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Elezović
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Trikić
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Apostolski
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000150:complications; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary; D016878:POEMS Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D015022:Yugoslavia / Q000453:epidemiology