Papilledema and Peripheral Neuropathies

Acute vision loss in Guillain–Barré syndrome: A case series and review of literature

Background

Acute vision loss in Guillain–Barré syndrome  is rarely reported in literature. No case of vision loss in Guillain–Barré syndrome due to Angle closure glaucoma  has been reported in AIDP variant GBS.

Case presentation

We report three patients with an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy subtype of GBS who developed acute vision loss during the course of disease. Two patients had autonomic dysfunction with hypertension, in which  one patient presented with painful acute vision loss and was diagnosed with Angle closure glaucoma and another patient had painless vision loss which was due to posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. Third patient presented with bilateral papilledema with raised cerebrospinal fluid protein and intracranial pressure. Vision in all the three patients improved after treatment.

Conclusion

Patient with GBS, with autonomic dysfunction and hypertension or elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein may present with acute vision loss during the course of the disease. Early diagnosis and management  help to improve vision and prevent permanent vision loss in these patients.

Ultrastructural Lesions of Nodo-Paranodopathies in Peripheral Neuropathies

Whatever the cause of myelin damage of the peripheral nervous system, the initial attack on myelin by a dysimmune process may begin either at the internodal area or in the paranodal and nodal regions. The term "nodo-paranodopathy" was first applied to some "axonal Guillain-Barré syndrome" subtypes, then extended to cases classified as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy bearing IgG4 antibodies against paranodal axoglial proteins. In these cases, paranodal dissection develops in the absence of macrophage-induced demyelination. In contrast, the mechanisms of demyelination of other dysimmune neuropathies induced by macrophages are unexplained, as no antibodies have been identified in such cases. Electron microscopy of longitudinal sections of nerve biopsies is useful to visualize and authenticate the characteristic lesions of paranodes/nodes. However, it should be borne in mind that identical ultrastructural aspects are seen in other types of polyneuropathies: Genetic, experimental, and in a few polyneuropathies for which there is no obvious etiology. Ultrastructural nerve studies confirm the initial involvement of nodes/paranodes in various types of acquired and genetic neuropathies. For some of them, the antibodies or the proteins involved by mutations are clearly identified such as Caspr-1, Contactin-1, NFasc155, and NFasc186; other unidentified proteins are likely to be involved as well.