Prognosis in severe Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Recent studies of Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults have shown that the requirement for assisted ventilation correlates closely with a poor outcome, and the need for ventilation is now being used as an indication for plasmapheresis. As comparable studies in children have not been performed we reviewed our experience of patients who had Guillain-Barré syndrome severe enough to require assisted ventilation. In a group of 11 children two died in the acute stage of the illness and nine made an excellent recovery. It would seem that the need for mechanical ventilation is not necessarily a bad prognostic factor for neurological recovery in children.