title: Two years' long-term follow up in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Administration of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIgs) is established for long-term treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). Prevention of secondary axonal loss going along with permanent clinical disability and muscular atrophy is a major aim in CIDP therapy. To assess long-term clinical efficacy of IVIg treatment despite heterogenous disease course and variable complaints reported by the patients, long-term electrophysiological monitoring was performed for systematic evaluation of therapeutic efficacy of IVIg.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 21 patients with CIDP treated with IVIg 1 g/kg bodyweight every 3-6 weeks were examined electrophysiologically every 12 months over a period of 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Assessment of clinical symptoms, using the Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment (INCAT) and Hughes functional grading score (F-score) revealed improvement of motor and sensory symptoms over a period of 2 years. As electrophysiological results remained stable, IVIg treatment seems to be suitable to prevent axonal loss in CIDP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms efficacy of IVIg as firstline therapy in CIDP. Doses and frequency of IVIg application should be adapted based on clinical evaluation and analysis of long-term electrophysiological findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Gudrunstrasse 56, D-44791 Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Gisa
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ellrichmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Ilya
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ayzenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Min-Suk
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schneider-Gold
keywords: INCAT; chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy; intravenous immunoglobulins; long-term treatment; nerve conduction study