title: Admission neurophysiological abnormalities in Guillain-Barré syndrome: A single-center experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) are often hospitalized few days after symptoms onset, nerve conduction studies (NCS) abnormalities in early phases of the disease are not well characterized. Our aim was to report early neurophysiological abnormalities from a cohort of GBS patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this single-center study, we retrospectively reviewed the NCS data of 71 consecutive GBS patients in whom neurophysiology was performed within two weeks after disease onset. We further divided our cohort in three subgroups according to the interval between disease onset and NCS (≤ 4 days; 5-7 days; 8-14 days).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A great proportion of patients (37%) with an early NCS (≤ 4 days) showed normal neurophysiological results. The most altered parameters were F waves and their proportion increases in correspondence to number of days after onset. Conduction blocks were observed preferentially in upper limbs, in about a third of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms that NCS may be normal in the early phases of GBS syndrome and suggests to perform an extensive neurophysiological evaluation in these patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results may help the clinicians in the interpretation of NCS in early-onset GBS.
authors.affiliation: Department Geriatrics, Neurosciences & Orthopedics, Institute of Neurology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: mluigetti@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luigetti
authors.affiliation: Department Geriatrics, Neurosciences & Orthopedics, Institute of Neurology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Serenella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Servidei
authors.affiliation: Department Geriatrics, Neurosciences & Orthopedics, Institute of Neurology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Modoni
authors.affiliation: Department Geriatrics, Neurosciences & Orthopedics, Institute of Neurology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy; IRCCS S. Raffaele-Pisana, Rome and Casa di Cura S. Raffaele Cassino, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo Maria
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Rossini
authors.affiliation: Department Geriatrics, Neurosciences & Orthopedics, Institute of Neurology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabatelli
authors.affiliation: Department Geriatrics, Neurosciences & Orthopedics, Institute of Neurology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lo Monaco
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D011826:Radial Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D013979:Tibial Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Acute polyneuropathy; Conduction blocks; Early diagnosis; F wave; Guillain–Barré syndrome; Nerve conduction studies; Sural sparing