title: Pilot trial of immunoglobulin versus plasma exchange in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
abstract: We compared intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and plasma exchange (PLEX) in the treatment of 50 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Standard outcome measures did not differ for the two groups. Sixty-one percent of the PLEX-treated group and 69% of the IVIG-treated group improved by one disability grade at 1 month. The complication rate was higher in the PLEX-treated group. We conclude that the efficacy of IVIG in the treatment of GBS is comparable with that of PLEX and that it can be used safely, although we had a small number of patients. We did not observe a higher relapse rate with IVIG. The usefulness of combination therapy is unknown at this time.
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bril
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Ilse
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pearce
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dhanani
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010951:Plasma Exchange; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous