ICNC2018 Abstracts & Symposia Proposals, ICNC 2014

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Does Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy hurt?
Mireya Milagros Bolo-Diaz, Jocelyn Montalvo-Ortiz, Leyda Sanchez-Ortiz, Marisel Vazquez-Correa, Maria Davila-Carlos

Last modified: 2014-04-03

Abstract


Guillain-Barré Syndrome is an acute immune-mediated polyradiculoneuropathy comprising a broad spectrum of clinical variants, which include the Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, Miller Fisher Syndrome and the axonal loss variants, Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy (AMAN) and Acute Motor and Sensory Axonal Neuropathy (AMSAN).  AMAN is a rare pure motor axonal variant characterized by acute onset of distal weakness, hyporeflexia/areflexia and electrodiagnostic evidence of reduced compound muscle action potential amplitudes with normal motor conduction velocities and normal sensory nerve action potentials. Only a few cases are reported describing pain in AMAN, but this is not the norm.  We describe the case of a 12-year-old girl diagnosed with AMAN after development of acute symmetric ascending weakness, painful dysesthesias without sensory deficits, generalized hyporeflexia, autonomic instability and electrodiagnostic evidence of pure motor axonal loss. Two courses of intravenous immunoglobulins were given with significant improvement of upper extremity weakness and mild improvement of painful dysesthesias after the second course. Lessening of pain occurred upon initiation of gabapentin that lasted for about 3 to 5 days, after which pain returned to initial intensity.  Combined treatment with gabapentin, intravenous morphine, fentanyl patch, and physiotherapy was unsuccessful providing analgesia.  This case presents the presence of pain in AMAN, which had been recently described in the literature. Further studies are needed to understand the pathophysiologic mechanisms of pain in AMAN to determine the best pain management options for this condition.


Keywords


Guillain-Barre Syndrome; AMAN; Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy; Pain

References


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