BTA application before abdominal wall hernia repair seems to be useful. The lateral muscles paralysis achieved and transverse hernia defect reduction allows a minimal tension closure. To our knowledge, this is the first report of BTA application before abdominal wall hernia reconstruction.

Background: Information regarding the clinical presentation and outcome of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in adults from Latin America is limited. Objective: To identify clinical characteristics and short-term outcome predictors in adult Mexican patients with GBS. Patients and Methods: We included adult patients with clinical and electrophysiological data with confirmed GBS, admitted to a tertiary hospital in Western Mexico, from January 2002 to February 2011. A good outcome at hospital discharge was considered if patients had a Hughes score of 0–2 and at 3 and 6 months, a Hughes score of 0–1. Results: A total of 115 patients were analyzed (68% men, mean age 44 years old, range 18–84). Previous infection occurred in 63% of cases. Descendent pattern of weakness was observed in 40 (35%) patients. GBS subtypes were: acute motor axonal neuropathy in 31%, acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in 29%, sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN) in 18%, and equivocal in 22%. A total of 73 (63%) patients received induction therapy: 50 (68%) received plasmapheresis and 13 (18%) received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). In-hospital mortality occurred in 14 (12%) patients. Early gait complaints and emergency room admission with mild Hughes score (0-2) were predictors for a good outcome at hospital discharge (P < 0.05); meanwhile, age >75 years; dysarthria and higher Hughes score were associated with a poor outcome(P < 0.05). Conclusions: Axonal pattern, motor involvement, and the descendent pattern of presentation were the main clinical GBS findings in our cohort. Higher Hughes scale scores at hospital admission were a strong predictor for a bad outcome at hospital discharge and short-term follow-up, independently of treatment type or in-hospital management. GBS in Mexico still carries considerable mortality.

Background: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a post-synaptic autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction, whose cardinal manifestations are weakness and fatigue. Objective: The objective of the study was to report a cohort of patients with a diagnosis of MG in a West Mexican hospital and compare the clinical profile, diagnostic, and therapeutic approach and prognosis against a previously published cohort of the same hospital. Materials and methods: Consecutive patients included in two cohorts: the first one already published from 1999 to 2007 and the second one reported here from 2008 to 2018. Results: The most recent cohort included 39 patients, 23 women (59%), with an average age of 50 years, and superior to the previous cohort (43 years). Hypertension (39%) and diabetes (18%) were observed with a marked increase in the current cohort. The distribution in the Osserman staging was very similar. The positivity of acetylcholine receptor antibodies (ACRA) increased from 37% to 88%. In both cohorts, most patients received pyridostigmine and in two-thirds steroids. The previous cohort recorded 4% of patients treated with a steroid-sparing immunosuppressant, contrasting with 90% (azathioprine 85%, and mycophenolate 5%) of the current cohort. Thymectomy was a less frequent practice in 12%. Mortality showed a significant decrease from 16% to 0%. Conclusion: Differences were observed among the cohorts, highlighting in the most recent one a higher age, the appearance of chronic-degenerative diseases, greater positivity to ACRA, optimization of pharmacological management, less thymectomy, and no mortality. Replicas of this work in other hospital settings are pertinent.