title: Guillain-Barré syndrome in two patients with respiratory failure and a review of the Japanese literature.
abstract: We described two patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome and respiratory failure with or without mechanical ventilation. Case 1 was a 44-year-old man who treated as pneumonia under mechanical ventilation for a month and transferred to our hospital with unsuccessful weaning trials because of phrenic nerve palsy. Case 2 was a 74-year-old man who presented with aspiration pneumonia because of bulbar palsy. The present two cases with review of the Japanese literature showed that antecedent infection with initial symptoms within the most recent 5 to 46 days is a clinical clue to the diagnosis even in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome accompanied by respiratory failure.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Respiratory Medicine, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan;
authors.forename: Erei
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sohara
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saraya
authors.forename: Kojiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inui
authors.forename: Yukari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sada
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsujimoto
authors.forename: Masuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Chizuko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oishi
authors.forename: Atsuro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takizawa
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goto