[Landry-type motor polyneuropathy and spinal transection syndrome with flaccid paraplegia. Rare neurological syndromes in panarteritis nodosa].

In a 59-year-old man in complete health a pure motor polyneuropathic syndrome with quadruplegia, swallowing and respiratory paralysis developed over a few hours. A few days later he died with the clinical picture of septicaemia. In a 59-year-old woman who had been investigated and treated for a suspected carcinoma for several months a predominantly distal sensomotoric polyneuropathy syndrome developed. The further course of disease was completely misleading as regards the diagnosis due to an acutely occurring transection syndrome with flaccid paraplegia, loss of reflexes, and bladder and rectal paralysis. Due to the very unusual neurological symptoms panarteritis nodosa was only diagnosed at autopsy and by histology in both cases. Panarteritis nodosa must be considered as a differential diagnosis in Landry-type polyneuropathy as well as in an acute spinal transection syndrome. The first patient demonstrates toxic damages, the second vascular damages of the nervous system which in general determine the neurological symptomatology of this vascular disease.