title: Prospective follow-up study of chronic polyneuropathy of undetermined cause.
abstract: Forty consecutive patients with chronic sensorimotor polyneuropathy of undetermined cause were followed to determine disease progression and prognosis. They had had neurological symptoms for at least 1 year before presentation. Neurophysiological examination in all patients showed chronic axonal degeneration, which was confirmed by sural nerve biopsy. Patients were reviewed every 3 months. Laboratory tests were performed every 6 months for the first 2 years and then annually. Neurophysiological examination was performed annually in all patients. Patients were followed up for at least 4 years. In no instance was a possible etiological factor detected during follow-up. The clinical and electrophysiological findings had a slowly progressive course. We suggest that patients with a chronic polyneuropathy of undetermined cause despite detailed investigations do not require further extensive and expensive laboratory tests and neurophysiological studies during follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Niguarda Hospital, Piazza O. Maggiore 3, I-20100 Milan, Italy. jann@betam.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beretta
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bramerio
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Defanti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D011115:Polyneuropathies / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000473:pathology