Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (46)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Thomas, P. K.
Right arrow Articles by Ferguson, I. T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Thomas, P. K.
Right arrow Articles by Ferguson, I. T.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Brain, Vol. 119, No. 3, 765-774, 1996
© 1996 Guarantors of Brain

research-article

Focal upper limb demyelinating neuropathy

P. K. Thomas1,1, D. Claus4, A. Jaspert4, J. M. Workman1, R. H. M. King1, A. J. Larner2, Milne Anderson2, J. A. Emerson3 and I. T. Ferguson3

1Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine London 2Midland Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery Bristol, UK 3Southmead Hospital Bristol, UK 4Neurologische Klinik der Universität Erlangen-Nurnberg Germany

Correspondence to: Correspondence to: Professor P. K. Thomas, Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, Rowland Hill Street, London NW3 2PF, UK

Observations are presented on nine selected patients with chronic upper limb demyelinating neuropathy to illustrate the range of manifestations that may be observed. In three, the involvement was purely motor, in five, mixed motor and sensory and, in one, virtually purely sensory; in seven the symptoms were unilateral and in two bilateral. The presence of reduced nerve conduction velocity and conduction block and the response to treatment in seven of the cases indicate that they represented examples of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) with focal involvement. This was confirmed by nerve biopsy in two cases. The presentation in one patient was accompanied by forearm swelling initially suspected of being a tumour but shown to be due to muscle hypertrophy. This was probably the consequence of recurrent muscle cramps and fasciculation and possibly neuromyotonia. The patient with predominant sensory involvement restricted to the upper limbs demonstrates that sensory CIDP can present focally. In one patient with monomelic motor and sensory involvement, nerve biopsy showed multifical areas of hypertrophic demyelinating neuropathy distally in the ulnar nerve without inflammatory infiltration. This patient failed to respond to therapy. Response in the others was satisfactory, although one patient with a monomelic motor neuropathy showed a severe deterioration after being given corticosteroids; he subsequently improved with intravenous human immunoglobulin therapy.

neuropathy; inflammatory demyelination


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 NeurologyHome page
A. F. Hahn, M. L. Mauermann, P. J. B. Dyck, and B. M. Keegan
A 16-year-old girl with progressive weakness of the left leg
Neurology, July 3, 2007; 69(1): 84 - 90.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 BrainHome page
K. Viala, L. Renie, T. Maisonobe, A. Behin, J. Neil, J. M. Leger, and P. Bouche
Follow-up study and response to treatment in 23 patients with Lewis-Sumner syndrome
Brain, September 1, 2004; 127(9): 2010 - 2017.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurol. Neurosurg. PsychiatryHome page
S Kuwabara, K Ogawara, S Misawa, M Mori, and T Hattori
Distribution patterns of demyelination correlate with clinical profiles in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, January 1, 2002; 72(1): 37 - 42.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurol. Neurosurg. PsychiatryHome page
H Modarres, M Samuel, and F Schon
Isolated finger flexion: a novel form of focal neuromyotonia
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, July 1, 2000; 69(1): 110 - 113.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeurologyHome page
R. M. Van den Berg-Vos, L. H. Van den Berg, H. Franssen, M. Vermeulen, T. D. Witkamp, G. H. Jansen, H. W. van Es, H. Kerkhoff, and J. H. J. Wokke
Multifocal inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy: A distinct clinical entity?
Neurology, January 11, 2000; 54(1): 26 - 26.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.