Acute bulbar, neck and limb weakness with monospecific anti-GT1a antibody: A rare localized subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

INTRODUCTION

Acute bulbar, neck, and limb weakness carries several potential differential diagnoses. Although a diagnosis can often be established clinically, investigations such as electrodiagnostic and antibody testing can provide support for the clinical diagnosis and may aid in understanding the pathogenesis. A 65-year-old woman presented with acute bulbar, neck, and rapidly progressive bilateral upper limb weakness.

METHODS

Clinical evaluation, electrophysiological, and serological studies were undertaken.

RESULTS

Neurophysiology demonstrated proximal conduction block. A clinical diagnosis of pharyngeal-cervical-brachial weakness, a localized variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome, was made. The patient received treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin and made a remarkable recovery over the next month. She was found to have serum monospecific anti-GT1a antibodies.

CONCLUSIONS

We report a case of pharyngeal-cervical-brachial weakness with monospecific anti-GT1a antibodies and discuss the differential diagnosis of acute bulbar, neck, and limb weakness.