[Familial amyloid neuropathy of Corino Andrade. Ultrastructural study of the peripheral nerve in 2 patients].

The authors describe two typical cases of Portuguese amyloid neuropathy in immigrants. One of the patients had been ill for only a short time while the other's condition had been developing over more than ten years. The first patient's neuropathy was characterized by a perforating ulcer of the foot and loss of sensation. The neurological disorder as well as the effect on general health were much more serious in the second patient. Neuro-muscular biopsy was carried out on each of these patients and revealed excessive endoneural amyloid and very severe lesions of nerve parenchyma mainly secondary to Wallerian degeneration. The results were compared with the few existing ultrastructural studies on the peripheral nerve in amyloid neuropathies.