Rapid improvement of autonomic and peripheral neuropathy after liver transplantation: a single case report.
Peripheral and autonomic neuropathies are known but often unrecognized associations of cirrhosis from any cause. The pathogenesis of these effects are ill understood. Liver transplantation has been shown to reverse autonomic manifestations, but little evidence exists for an effect on peripheral neuropathy. This case report documents improvement in peripheral and autonomic neuropathy in a 40-year-old man with hepatitis B virus--related cirrhosis. A return to normal neurophysiological function was seen within 9 months of successful liver transplantation, suggesting a metabolic, rather than a structural, cause of such changes in the peripheral nervous system.
McDougall
Alan John
AJ
Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia. a.mcdougall@unsw.edu.au
Davies
Leo
L
McCaughan
Geoffrey William
GW
D000328:Adult; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000601:surgery; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000601:surgery / Q000821:virology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000628:therapy*