The prognosis of acute polyradiculoneuritis

IN PATIENTS with acute polyradiculoneuritis, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis,l profound sensory loss,2 papilledema,3 or progression for more than a few weeks2 has been said to be associated with incomplete recovery or recurrent disease. By exclusion of those with one or more of these “atypical” features, it has been thought possible to define a group with uniformly complete recovery. It has been suggested that the eponym, Guillain-Bar& syndrome, be applied only to this latter group.2 Evidence against the predictive value of such a classification has been provided by Forster and co-workers,4 who could find no correlation between cerebrospinal fluid formula and prognosis, and Duvoisin,b who could not relate rapidity of onset of symptoms to extent of recovery. Insdicient data are presently available on the long-term course of patients with this syndrome to permit resolution of these opposing points of view. We have accordingly reexamined 49 patients an average of eleven years after onset of symptoms.