GUILLAIN-BARRE-SYNDROME IN CHILDREN - CLINICAL COURSE, ELECTRODIAGNOSIS, AND PROGNOSIS

The electrodiagnostic features of acute childhood Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) have not been distinguished from those in the adult. We report nerve conduction and electromyographic data from 23 children. Sixty-one percent (14 of 23) fulfilled strict electrodiagnostic criteria for a demyelinating neuropathy, and the remainder demonstrated demyelination in at least one nerve. Reduced compound muscle action potential,(CMAP) amplitude was the most common finding overall. Children < 10 years old demonstrated significantly greater slowing of motor CV than children > 10 years old. Electrodiagnostic criteria associated with poor outcome (low mean CMAP and fibrillation potentials) in previous studies, primarily of adult patients, occurred in 39% (9 of 23 children). All patients on whom follow-up data were obtained recovered without residual disability. We conclude that electrodiagnostic prognostic indicators identified in general series of GBS may not apply to children.