Anti-GQ1b Antibody Syndrome Presented as Locked-In Syndrome: A Rare Case Report

Anti-GQ1b antibodies are considered a hallmark of Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS), a rare variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The typical clinical presentation of MFS includes ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia. Here, we present an unusual case of a 65-year-old man with acute-onset quadriplegia and bulbar weakness resembling locked-in syndrome. Imaging studies did not show structural lesions as a cause for his clinical symptoms. Nerve conduction studies showed severe axonal sensory-motor polyneuropathy. Serum studies were all negative except for a positive anti-GQ1b antibody. He was treated with plasmapheresis as MFS, with a quick improvement in muscle strength. Our case report provided further information on the clinical variation of anti-GQ1b syndrome. Physicians should pay more attention to unusual presentations of anti-GQ1b syndrome because, when it is recognized early with prompt treatment, patients are expected to have a good recovery.

Myasthenia Gravis Presenting as Bulbar Palsy

Myasthenia gravis is a rare autoimmune condition that affects postsynaptic cholinergic receptors, resulting in symptoms of muscular fatigue. Clinical signs could be subtle and variable, often leading to many differentials. This leads to inappropriate tests being performed and a delay in diagnosis. Although ocular signs are more common, it may rarely present as bulbar palsy. Our patient, in her 30s, was referred to the emergency department after six months of symptom onset when she was discovered to be at a high risk of silent aspiration. Her presentation was predominantly bulbar palsy, but after appropriate tests, she was eventually diagnosed with generalized myasthenia gravis with a concurrent thymoma. Her treatment included pyridostigmine, corticosteroid, and immunoglobulins, while a thymectomy was scheduled as a planned procedure. Prompt diagnosis and timely management can reduce morbidity and mortality in such cases.

Symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis Obscured by Old Age and Unilateral Presentation

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a neuromuscular junction disorder involving autoantibodies affecting the postsynaptic muscle membrane. We report an 81-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with three days of left facial droop, who later developed worsening bilateral ptosis, cervical weakness, dysphagia, and dysarthria following an assessment for Bell's palsy. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with MG. This patient's presentation was atypical and challenging. Specifically, the patient had droopy eyelids from a redundancy of skin and an anatomical neck droop, non-specific findings in older adults, which obscured the development of bilateral ptosis and cervical weakness, a classic sign of bulbar disease. The patient also presented with unilateral facial weakness, a rare finding in MG and concerning stroke in the elderly population. Our aim is to discuss the challenges of identifying MG in older populations and to discuss pharmacological challenges in assessing elderly patients with suspected bulbar palsies.

Bulbar Onset Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in a COVID-19 Patient: A Case Report

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder with a largely unknown etiology. In this case, we are presenting an 84-year-old male patient who was admitted for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure secondary to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. He was neurologically intact. His infection improved and oxygen requirement was gradually weaned off allowing for discharge. However, he was admitted again a month later with progressive dysphagia and aspiration that were confirmed on videofluoroscopic study. He was also found to have mild dysarthria, bulbar muscle weakness, bilateral lower motor neuron facial nerve palsy, diffuse hyporeflexia on four extremities with intact sensory function. Diagnosis of ALS was suspected after extensive workup was pursued and ruled out nutritional, structural, autoimmune, infectious and inflammatory disorders. This case is only the third reported case in medical literature to suggest COVID-19 infection as a triggering/accelerating factor of ALS progression.

Clinical Profile and Predictors of Mechanical Ventilation in Guillain-Barre Syndrome in North Indian Children

OBJECTIVE

To describe the clinical-laboratory profile of pediatric Guillain-Barre syndrome and delineate features associated with need of mechanical ventilation.

METHODS

In a prospective observational study at tertiary care hospital, clinical-laboratory assessment and nerve conduction studies were documented in consecutive children hospitalized with Guillain-Barre syndrome according to Brighton criteria. Clinical-laboratory features were compared between ventilated and nonventilated patients using univariate and multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

Forty-six children (27 boys) with a mean age of 69.1±35.2 months were enrolled. History of preceding infection was present in 47.8%, bulbar palsy in 43.5%, feeble voice in 41.3%, sensory involvement in 13%, and autonomic involvement in 39.5%. Tetraparesis was noted in 87% of cases. Hughes disability scale >3 was noted in 44 children at admission and 39 (84.7%) at discharge. The most common electrophysiological type was acute motor axonal neuropathy (46.5%) followed by acute motor sensory axonal neuropathy (39.5%), acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (7%), and inexcitable nerves (7%). Nine (19.7%) children were ventilated, 3 (6.5%) died or were lost, and 43 were discharged. Factors associated with need of mechanical ventilation on univariate analysis were older age, hypertension, bulbar palsy, feeble voice, lower Medical Research Council (MRC) sum, raised total leucocyte count, and history of preceding infection. Logistic regression revealed older age, history of predisposing illness, lower MRC sum at presentation, and bulbar palsy as independent predictors of mechanical ventilation.

CONCLUSIONS

The most common electrophysiological subtype in northern Indian children is acute motor axonal neuropathy. Older age, preceding infection, low MRC sum, and bulbar palsy are predictors of mechanical ventilation in pediatric Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Amyloid cranial polyneuropathy: A rare neurological presentation of immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis

Amyloidosis, a disease with extracellular tissue deposition of fibrils, results in clinical manifestations based on deposition of these fibrils in multiple organ systems. Usual manifestations include nephrotic-range proteinuria, cardiac failure, hepatosplenomegaly, and skin manifestations. Common neurological manifestations include peripheral and autonomic neuropathies. Cranial neuropathy has been seldom reported and is an unusual clinical feature of amyloidosis. Here, we report an older man who presented with cranial nerve palsies along with other clinical features, including heart failure, proteinuria, weight loss, anorexia and distal symmetric polyneuropathy and was diagnosed with immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) amyloidosis.

Isolated Bulbar Palsy: A Rare Presentation of Neurosarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis, which is a non-caseating granulomatous chronic inflammatory disease, can affect virtually any organ system, including the central nervous system (CNS). Very rarely, patients may present solely with neurosarcoidosis. It commonly presents with unilateral or bilateral seventh nerve palsy. Rarely it can present as dangerous progressive bulbar palsy and is a diagnostic and clinical challenge. We present a case of sarcoidosis with a unique presentation of isolated bulbar palsy. A 38-year-old male presented to the emergency with a sudden onset of dysphonia followed by dysphagia for both solids and liquids for one week and 5 kg weight loss in two months. The rest of the CNS exam was unremarkable. On labs, he had hypercalcemia and suppressed parathyroid hormone (PTH) intact. Detailed radiological investigations, lab tests, and lymph node biopsy helped confirm the diagnosis of neurosarcoidosis. The patient did not respond to first-line steroid therapy and hence received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) subsequently with adequate response and complete neurologic recovery, confirmed by a follow-up visit.

Differences in nerve excitability properties between isolated bulbar palsy and bulbar-dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Objectives: Isolated bulbar palsy (IBP) is a rare variant that can show a benign course, while progressive bulbar palsy (PBP) has been regarded as a bulbar-dominant type of classical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (cALS). This study aimed to identify differences in the excitability properties between them.Methods: We consecutively collected data on 22 ALS patients: 13 with cALS, 5 with PBP, and 4 with IBP. An automated nerve excitability test (NET) was applied to measure the strength-duration time constant, threshold electrotonus (TE), current-threshold relationship, and recovery cycle. The axonal excitability properties were compared between the ALS groups and 25 controls.Results: Compared to controls, the cALS group showed a greater change in the depolarizing phase of TE of 90-100 ms after depolarizing current [TEd_(90-100)] (53.3±1.3 [mean±SEM] for cALS and 49.0±0.7 for control, P<0.01) and lower S2 accommodation (19.6±0.8 and 22.6±0.7, respectively; P=0.01). There was a nonsignificant tendency for a high TEd_(90-100) pattern to be less prominent in the IBP group than in the PBP group (51.5±4.22 and 48.8±1.5, respectively). In addition, all of the parameters of nerve excitability other than S2 accommodation in the PBP and IBP groups did not differ significantly from those in the controls.Conclusions: The excitability properties of IBP and PBP differ from those of cALS. The pattern of NET in PBP was more similar to that in cALS than that in IBP. These findings suggest that IBP is a different entity from bulbar-dominant ALS and PBP.

Myasthenia Gravis With Thymoma, Manifesting as AChR-Ab-Positive, Distinct Bulbar Palsy Accompanied by Dysgeusia: A Case Series and Review of Literature

In this review, we summarized three cases of myasthenia gravis (MG) with taste disorder and describe their clinical features in detail. Three MG patients presented with significant bulbar palsy symptoms, high AChR-Ab titers, and negative MuSK-Ab, were diagnosed with thymoma. Furthermore, we observed that dysgeusia could manifest earlier than the occurrence of typical MG symptoms, even predict a MG relapse or a myasthenic crisis in the course of MG. We believe that dysgeusia is a non-motor symptom of MG, which especially exists in MG patients with thymoma and serious bulbar palsy. Therefore, being alert to this symptom may facilitate the early diagnosis of MG and judge the progress of the disease.

SCN8A mutation in a child presenting with seizures and developmental delays

The SCN8A gene encodes the sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 8. Mutations in this gene have been associated with early infantile epileptic encephalopathy type 13. With the use of whole-exome sequencing, a de novo missense mutation in SCN8A was identified in a 4-yr-old female who initially exhibited symptoms of epilepsy at the age of 5 mo that progressed to a severe condition with very little movement, including being unable to sit or walk on her own.

Transient Isolated Lower Bulbar Palsy With Elevated Serum Anti-GM1 and Anti-GD1b Antibodies During Aripiprazole Treatment

BACKGROUND

Transient bulbar palsy without involvement of the facial or extraocular muscles is a rare presentation. It is considered a form of cranial polyneuropathy, a variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome that is related to the autoimmune mechanisms induced by preceding infections or vaccinations. However, drug-induced cranial polyneuropathy has not previously been reported. We describe a boy with isolated bulbar palsy and positive serum antiganglioside antibodies during aripiprazole treatment.

PATIENT DESCRIPTION

This 12-year-old boy was admitted with a seven-day history of dysarthria, tongue discomfort, and tinnitus. Three weeks before symptom onset, aripiprazole was added to the patient's medications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. On examination, he showed curtaining of the pharyngeal wall, tongue fasciculation and deviation, and a weak gag reflex. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging suggested lower cranial nerve involvement. Serum anti-GM1 IgG and anti-GD1b IgG antibodies were positive. After stopping aripiprazole, his bulbar symptoms improved. However, on readministration of aripiprazole seven weeks later, dysarthria recurred and again resolved after stopping the drug.

CONCLUSION

We describe the first patient with anti-GM1 IgG and anti-GD1b IgG antibodies-associated transient cranial polyneuropathy presenting as isolated bulbar palsy. These findings could be an adverse effect of aripiprazole treatment.

Tongguan Liqiao acupuncture therapy improves dysphagia after brainstem stroke

Tongguan Liqiao acupuncture therapy has been shown to effectively treat dysphagia after stroke-based pseudobulbar paralysis. We presumed that this therapy would be effective for dysphagia after bulbar paralysis in patients with brainstem infarction. Sixty-four patients with dysphagia following brainstem infarction were recruited and divided into a medulla oblongata infarction group (n = 22), a midbrain and pons infarction group (n = 16), and a multiple cerebral infarction group (n = 26) according to their magnetic resonance imaging results. All patients received Tongguan Liqiao acupuncture for 28 days. The main acupoints were Neiguan (PC6), Renzhong (DU26), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Fengchi (GB20), Wangu (GB12), and Yifeng (SJ17). Furthermore, the posterior pharyngeal wall was pricked. Before and after treatment, patient swallowing functions were evaluated with the Kubota Water Test, Fujishima Ichiro Rating Scale, and the Standard Swallowing Assessment. The Barthel Index was also used to evaluate their quality of life. Results showed that after 28 days of treatment, scores on the Kubota Water Test and Standard Swallowing Assessment had decreased, but scores on the Fujishima Ichiro Rating Scale and Barthel Index had increased in each group. The total efficacy rate was 92.2% after treatment, and was most obvious in patients with medulla oblongata infarction (95.9%). These findings suggest that Tongguan Liqiao acupuncture therapy can repair the connection of upper motor neurons to the medulla oblongata motor nucleus, promote the recovery of brainstem infarction, and improve patient's swallowing ability and quality of life.

Adult-onset Leigh's disease: A rare entity

Leigh syndrome (LS) is a heterogeneous familial or sporadic neurodegenerative disorder. It is typically seen in infancy or childhood, although rare cases of adult onset have been described. The authors describe a 37-year-old woman who presented with protracted gastrointestinal symptoms followed by acute brain stem syndrome with severe metabolic acidosis and who subsequently showed dramatic clinical and neuroradiological improvement.

West Nile Meningoencephalitis Presenting as Isolated Bulbar Palsy With Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure: Case Report and Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Since the outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) in the United States in 1999, the WNV neuroinvasive disease has been increasingly reported with a wide spectrum of neuromuscular manifestations.

CASE

We submit a case of a 46-year-old male with a history of alcohol abuse, diabetes, hypertension, and hepatitis C who presented with fever, nausea, shortness of breath, and dysphagia. The patient rapidly developed hypercapnic respiratory failure and was found to have WNV meningoencephalitis without obvious neuromuscular weakness. His hospital course was significant for repeated failures of extubation secondary to persistent bulbar weakness eventually requiring tracheotomy.

CONCLUSION

This is a unique case of WNV meningoencephalitis with bulbar palsy without other neuromuscular manifestations resulting in recurrent hypercapnic respiratory failure.

Adrenomyeloneuropathy with bulbar palsy: A rare association

Adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN) is a variant of adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), an X-linked recessive peroxisomal disorder associated with accumulation of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA). Mutations of this gene lead to abnormal peroxisomal β-oxidation, which results in the harmful accumulation of VLCFAs in affected cells. Neurological symptoms occur due to progressive demyelination and destruction of cerebral white matter and primary adrenal insufficiency. Bulbar palsy in a case of AMN is very unusual. We report a case of a 22-year-old male with AMN who developed adrenal insufficiency at the age of 4 years successfully treated by gluco- and mineralocorticoids followed by features of myeloneuropathy with bulbar palsy. AMN with prominent bulbar symptoms emphasizes the diverse clinical manifestation of this disease.

Unusual features in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy: Good outcome after prolonged ventilatory support

Severe respiratory muscle paralysis and ventilatory failure is rare in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). We report a 14 year child who presented with respiratory failure, bulbar and multiple cranial nerves involvement along with bilateral phrenic nerve paralysis. He was diagnosed with CIDP after electrophysiological evaluation. He required AMBU ventilation for about 4 months (including domiciliary use), after which he recovered significantly. Along with several unusual features of CIDP, this report highlights good example of steady basic intensive care to save lives and rewarding outcome of prolonged respiratory support, provided by AMBU ventilation which is a rather primitive, but inexpensive device.