title: Proximal conduction block in the pharyngeal-cervical-brachial variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Conduction block (CB) has been included in the Rajabally criteria for axonal Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Because the nerve roots may be affected early in GBS, detection of proximal CB by the triple stimulation technique (TST) can be useful.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe TST findings in 2 patients who presented with the pharyngeal-cervical-brachial (PCB) variant of axonal GBS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the first patient, although conventional nerve conduction studies (NCS) did not fit electrodiagnostic criteria for axonal GBS, the TST detected proximal CB in the median and ulnar nerves. In the second patient, NCS fulfilled criteria for axonal GBS, and the TST detected proximal CB in the median nerve. After plasmapheresis, NCS and TST findings were normalized, suggesting reversible conduction failure rather than demyelinating CB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TST may be useful for diagnosis of PCB when NCS remain inconclusive. The technique provides additional clues for classifying PCB into the acute nodo-paranodopathies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, CHU Nîmes, Hôpital Caremeau, Place du Pr Debré, 30029 Nîmes Cedex 4, France.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Taieb
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, CHU Marseille, Hopital La Timone, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Aude-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Grapperon
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, CHU Marseille, Hopital La Timone, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Duclos
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, CHU Marseille, Hopital La Timone, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Franques
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, CHU Nîmes, Hôpital Caremeau, Place du Pr Debré, 30029 Nîmes Cedex 4, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Labauge
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, CHU Nîmes, Hôpital Caremeau, Place du Pr Debré, 30029 Nîmes Cedex 4, France.
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Renard
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.|Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, CHU Marseille, Hopital La Timone, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Attarian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001934:Branchial Region / Q000503:physiopathology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D010609:Pharyngeal Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Guillain-Barré syndrome; pharyngeal-cervical-brachial weakness; proximal conduction block; triple stimulation technique