title: Two sets of nerve conduction studies may suffice in reaching a reliable electrodiagnosis in Guillain-Barré syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent studies have advocated the use of serial nerve conduction studies (NCS) in the electrodiagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The current study aims to elucidate when and how frequent NCS can be performed to reflect the disease pathophysiology.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study of GBS patients documenting the initial and final electrodiagnoses following serial NCS performed at three time intervals: 1-2 weeks, 3-8 weeks and 8-12 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-one patients were recruited over a period of 2 years. Electrodiagnosis within 2 weeks revealed 17 acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy; two acute motor axonal neuropathy and two unclassified. After 12 weeks the final diagnoses were: 12 acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy; seven acute motor axonal neuropathy and two unclassified. NCS performed within the 3-8 week period reflected the true electrodiagnosis. Patients with acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy had persistent demyelination features at the 8-12 week NCS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two sets of NCS performed within the first 2 weeks and between 3-8 weeks of disease onset is likely to suffice in elucidating the true electrodiagnosis of GBS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings can be incorporated into a much-needed revision of the existing GBS electrodiagnostic criteria.
authors: Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. nortina@um.edu.my
authors: Nortina
authors: N
authors: Shahrizaila
authors: Khean Jin
authors: KJ
authors: Goh
authors: Suhailah
authors: S
authors: Abdullah
authors: Rishikesan
authors: R
authors: Kuppusamy
authors: Nobuhiro
authors: N
authors: Yuki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000097:blood; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005732:Gangliosides; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous