Cardiovascular diseases manifest similar age and sex distribution in the general population and have some commons risk factors with some neuropathies. The aim of this study is to verify whether standard nerve conduction studies show significant differences in a group of poststroke hemiplegic patients, when compared with a control group, ...

Up to 16% of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) patients may present acutely. We performed a retrospective chart review on 30 acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) and 15 acute-onset CIDP (A-CIDP) patients looking for any clinical or electrophysiological parameters that might differentiate AIDP from acutely presenting CIDP. A-CIDP patients were ...

Peripherin-IgG has been reported a pertinent autoantibody in non-obese type 1 diabetic (NOD) mice. However, it has not previously been recognized in any human disease. In blinded evaluation of serum for markers of neurological autoimmunity in a high-volume diagnostic laboratory, we incidentally identified 26 patients (61% female) with an IgG ...

BACKGROUND: Autonomic dysfunction is a usual feature of several neurological conditions characterized by either extra-pyramidal and/or peripheral damage, such as those seen in Machado-Joseph disease (MJD). AIMS OF THE STUDY: We used clinical evaluation and sympathetic skin responses (SSR) to assess autonomic function in a large series of patients with ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with lower extremity sensory symptoms and pain but without clinical or standard neurophysiological examination abnormalities may have a small fiber neuropathy. Skin biopsy with intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) assessment has been promoted as a diagnostic tool for such patients. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic utility of skin ...

Möbius syndrome is a disorder characterized by developmental impairment of cranial nerve VII, VI, often XII, and other cranial nerves. Facial reanimation in such patients restores the ability of some motion and of limited emotional expression. In one-fourth of these patients, hypoglossal involvement results in severe speech impairment due to ...

The antidromic facial nerve response (AFNR) is recommended as a monitoring method to detect cases resulting in facial nerve degeneration within 1 week after onset in patients with Bell's palsy and Hunt syndrome. The purpose of this study was to establish criteria for the AFNR to predict the prognosis of ...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate surgical treatment and follow-up results of patients who presented to our department with sciatic nerve injuries. METHODS: The study included 13 patients (12 males, 1 female; mean age 23 years; range 11 to 35 years) who underwent surgical treatment for sciatic ...

Peripheral neuropathy is one of the most frequently reported neurological extra-intestinal manifestations of the Crohn disease. Former studies have showed sympathetic neuropathy as early manifestation of CD by physical tests. The aim of this study is to examine sympathetic neuropathy in CD by using sympathetic skin response (SSR). We performed ...

Complex clubfeet represent a subset of clubfeet with unique features. Their correction requires a modification of the Ponseti casting technique and good short term results have been reported. However, these clubfeet are very difficult to treat and there is a higher chance for potential complications. We reviewed the database of ...

Fabry patients have symptoms and signs compatible with autonomic dysfunction. These symptoms and signs are considered to be due to impairment of the peripheral nervous system, but findings indicative of autonomic neuropathy in other diseases, such as orthostatic intolerance and male sexual dysfunction, are infrequently reported in Fabry disease. The ...

Despite the fact that Wegener's granulomatosis affects the nasal and paranasal cavities and the cranial nerves regularly, chemosensory impairments have not been reported. The objective of this study is to test the three chemosensory systems, olfaction, taste, and intranasal trigeminal function in Wegener disease patients. We tested olfactory, gustatory, and ...

PURPOSE: Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA) is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by lack of pain and thermal sensation, anhidrosis, thermodysregulation, and mental retardation. Although nonnociceptive sensation, which is mediated by large-caliber myelinated Abeta fibers, is reported to be normal in CIPA patients, precise clinical assessments of ...

BACKGROUND: Ropivacaine is a long-acting local anesthetic used frequently for peripheral nerve blocks and continuous peripheral nerve block catheters. Combat trauma patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center often receive continuous peripheral nerve block catheters as part of their pain regimen. These catheters remain in situ for several days to ...

Alterations in blink reflex excitability may occur in the contralateral side (CLS) and in the symptomatic side after peripheral facial palsy (PFP). In this study, the alterations of blink reflex in CLS were evaluated in cases with PFP who showed "three different types" of recovery. For this purpose, the R2 ...

Neuropathy is a cause of significant disability in patients with Fabry disease, yet its diagnosis is difficult. In this study we compared the novel noninvasive techniques of corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) to quantify small-fiber pathology, and non-contact corneal aesthesiometry (NCCA) to quantify loss of corneal sensation, with established tests of ...

The aim of this study was to investigate small myelinated (Adelta) and unmyelinated (C) fiber function in patients with CMT1A and CMTX polyneuropathy. 17 CMT1A and 10 Cx32 polyneuropathy patients were investigated with warm and cold threshold to evaluate small myelinated (Adelta) an unmyelinated (C) somatic fiber function and with ...

PURPOSE: Differential diagnosis of patients over 64 years of age reporting hoarseness is challenging. Laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) was used to determine the status of the recurrent and superior laryngeal nerves. The authors hypothesized that individuals with hoarseness but normal LEMG would have measures similar to those of patients from previous ...

BACKGROUND: Between November, 2006, and May, 2008, a subacute neurological syndrome affected workers from two swine abattoirs in Minnesota and Indiana who had occupational exposure to aerosolised porcine brain. We aimed to describe the pathogenic and immunological characteristics of this illness. METHODS: All patients from two abattoirs who presented or ...

We reviewed the clinical, electrophysiological an laboratory findings, plus the therapeutics and evolution of patients with motor-dominant Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and compared them with those of other CIDP patients. Among 12 consecutive CIDP patients, we identified five patients with motor-dominant CIDP. The five patients with motor-dominant CIDP initially ...

Autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy is characterized by impairment of multiple autonomic domains of which sudomotor function is among the most common. Many patients with this disorder have difficulties with thermoregulation and anhidrosis. Our objective was to characterize the distribution and severity of sudomotor dysfunction in this disorder. Sudomotor function was analyzed ...

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to present a clinical series of patients with trigeminal neuropathy and their treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We present a retrospective study of 15 cases of idiopathic trigeminal neuropathies, with unilateral involvement of 1 or more divisions of the trigeminal nerve. The clinical, radiologic, ...

Peripheral facial paralysis (PFP) usually affects the facial nerve in part or in whole on one side of the face. Most patients with acute PFP find it difficult to chew on the paralyzed side, especially due to compromised buccinator function. In addition, the sagging of the ipsilateral lip commissure tends ...

Sural nerve biopsy is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of neuropathic disorders. However, concerns of persisting pain and numbness resulting from traditional whole sural nerve biopsy have led to interfascicular dissection techniques with inconsistent benefits over whole nerve biopsy. In this study we describe a novel technique of atraumatic ...

BACKGROUND: The role of electromyography (EMG) recorded from the external anal sphincter (EAS) in the diagnosis of atypical parkinsonian syndromes is a matter for continuous debate. Most studies addressing this issue are retrospective. METHODS: In this study, we prospectively investigated six patients with Parkinson's Disease (IPD), 14 patients with multiple ...

BACKGROUND: Optic perineuritis (OPN) is an inflammatory condition involving the optic nerve sheath because of a variety of causes. We describe three patients in whom OPN was secondary to Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and compare the clinical findings in these cases with those of idiopathic OPN. METHODS: This is a retrospective ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of ulnar nerve sonography in leprosy neuropathy with electrophysiologic correlation. METHODS: Twenty-one consecutive patients with leprosy (12 men and 9 women; mean age +/- SD, 47.7 +/- 17.2 years) and 20 control participants (14 men and 6 women; ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the responses to treatment of patients with chronic sensory ataxic neuropathy associated with anti-GD1b IgM antibodies. METHODS: Patients with chronic sensory ataxic neuropathy associated with anti-GD1b IgM antibodies followed in our department for at least 12 months between 2001 and 2008 were identified and studied retrospectively. Patients ...

Fabry disease is a genetic lysosomal disorder with dysfunction of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-galactosidase A causing accumulation of glycolipids in multiple organs including the nervous system and with neuropathy as a prominent manifestation. Neurological symptoms include pain and autonomic dysfunction. This study examined peripheral autonomic nerve function in 19 female ...

A rehabilitation program including foot sensory stimulation, balance and gait training with limited vision was performed in 24 patients with clinically defined sensory ataxia. There were 15 patients with bilateral somatosensory loss related to chronic neuropathy and nine patients with unilateral loss-related to multiple sclerosis. After training, balance control assessed ...

Cold allodynia is a common sign of neuropathic pain patients but its underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown, partly because the populations of neurons responding to cold stimuli and their transduction mechanisms have not been fully determined. We report a patient with a small-fiber neuropathy of unknown origin, whose main ...

OBJECTIVE: We examined the relationship between the time course of development of facial synkinesis in patients with Bell's palsy and the severity of facial nerve damage. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Thirty-nine consecutive patients with Bell's palsy who developed synkinesis. INTERVENTION: Diagnostic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjects ...

A decrease in sensory nerve action potentials (SNAP) amplitude has been recently reported in some patients during the course of multifocal motor neuropathy with conduction blocks (MMNCB). It is not known if those patients have different clinical expression and disability when compared with typical MMNCB. Clinical, biological and electrophysiological assessments ...

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic criteria for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) have variable sensitivity and specificity. Newly published criteria by Koski et al combine clinical and electrophysiological components, either of which suffices to establish the diagnosis. European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society (EFNS/PNS) criteria require mandatory electrophysiology, as do other sets ...

STUDY AIMS: The sensory symptoms that are reported in restless legs syndrome (RLS) suggest involvement of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) in general and of the small-fibre system in particular. We aimed to study the status of the small-fibre system in primary RLS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated 10 patients ...

BACKGROUND: We studied involvement of large and small nerve fibres in patients with hypothyroidism and symptoms and signs of polyneuropathy. METHODS: Sixteen patients with established diagnosis of hypothyroidism were extracted from a patient population participating in a 'polyneuropathy study'. In addition, seven patients with other additional potential causes of polyneuropathy ...

BACKGROUND: Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) has long been regarded as an adult onset disease. However, it is now known that many NF2 patients present clinical signs and symptoms in early childhood. We here report an illustrative case of a male adolescent with an infantile onset clinical symptomatology. PATIENT: A 15-year-old ...

Marfan syndrome is a clinically and allelic heterogeneous, heritable connective tissue disorder with infrequently reported neuromuscular features. This study is the first to delineate these symptoms in a non-selected population. Neuromuscular involvement was evaluated in 10 Marfan patients through a standardized questionnaire, physical examination, nerve conduction study (NCS), needle electromyography ...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate, in patients with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE), if ultrasonographic differences in ulnar nerve size correlate with severity score determined by electrodiagnostic studies. METHODS: We examined prospectively 38 patients (50 elbows) with UNE. Patients were classified into mild, moderate and severe groups according to electrodiagnostic studies. ...

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antibody directly contributes to the autonomic dysfunction in Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopathy (AAG). The pathological mechanism leading to autonomic dysfunction in seronegative AAG is unclear. We evaluated patients with presumed antibody negative AAG (n=49) to determine whether there was an association with other autoantibodies. Three patients ...

The aim of the study was to document MRI findings in masticator structures in patients with trismus developing after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). MRI neck examinations were reviewed in 35 patients with marked trismus, defined as an interincisal gap of 25 mm or less, post-radiotherapy for NPC. Patients with ...

BACKGROUND: A stimulation current of no more than 0.5 mA is regarded as safe in avoiding nerve injury and delivering adequate stimulus to provoke a motor response. However, there is no consistent level of stimulating threshold that reliably indicates intraneural placement of the needle. The authors determined the minimally required ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate how the number of demyelinating findings (DF) on nerve conductions affects sensitivity and specificity of electrodiagnostic criteria for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). METHODS: Electrodiagnostic findings of 26 consecutive patients with CIDP were compared with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and diabetic ...

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) are immune-mediated neuropathies. GBS is characterized by acute onset and subsequent remission of symptoms, whereas CIDP displays slow progression over at least 2 months. However, a small proportion of CIDP patients display acute onset CIDP (a-CIDP) resembling that of GBS. The ...

INTRODUCTION: The main functional factors related to lifelong premature ejaculation (PE) etiology have been suggested to be penile hypersensitivity, greater cortical penile representation, and disturbance of central serotoninergic neurotransmission. AIMS: To quantitatively assess penile sensory thresholds in European Caucasian patients with lifelong PE using the Genito-Sensory Analyzer (GSA, Medoc, Ramat ...

AIM: The pathogenesis of Raynaud's phenomenon is still unclear. Neural and intravascular mechanisms are thought to be involved in the pathological process. The role of the autonomic nervous system is continually discussed, with particular attention to over-reactivity of the sympathetic part. The aim of this study was the clinical and ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there are diffusion abnormalities along the fibers connecting sensorimotor regions, including the primary sensorimotor areas and the striatum, in patients with writer's cramp using voxel-based diffusion analysis and fiber tracking. Recent studies have shown structural changes in these regions in writer's cramp. DESIGN: Patient and control ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Peripheral nervous system involvement is rare in sickle cell disease (SCD). The aim of this study is to determine the peripheral nerve involvement electrophysiologically in SCD patients without clinically evident neurological signs, symptoms and to determine the relationship between the frequency of sickle cell crisis and peripheral ...

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by sensorimotor symptoms that usually are localized in both legs, but may present considerable asymmetry. Patients with strictly and persisting unilateral manifestations have not yet been reported. We describe the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of three RLS patients with unilateral symptoms. All essential RLS ...

The primary aim of our study was to demonstrate how the diagnostic characteristics of skin biopsy used to evaluate small fiber involvement in patients with different causes of polyneuropathy are intrinsically related to the method used to establish the reference values (cut-off values). We also investigated intraepidermal nerve fiber (IENF) ...