MRS indicated differences in demyelination and gliosis between diffuse and focal cervical lesions in MS. Although longitudinal spectral and clinical changes were sparse, NAA/Cre turned out to be the most sensitive spectral parameter.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Several studies have aimed to find potential biomarkers to simplify the diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and to monitor and predict the disease course. However, reliable markers are still lacking. We aimed to investigate whether high‐resolution nerve ultrasound (HRUS) is suitable for monitoring the long‐term clinical course of CIDP.
METHODS
Twenty patients fulfilling the definite diagnostic criteria of CIDP received clinical examination, evaluation of the INCAT (inflammatory neuropathy cause and treatment) overall disability sum score (ODSS) as well as nerve conduction studies, and HRUS every 6 months over a median follow‐up time of 34 months. Patients were divided into clinically stable/regressive disease course or progressive disease course according to the development of the ODSS.
RESULTS
The intranerve cross‐sectional‐area (CSA) variability of the nerves of the lower extremity increased with disease progression, whereas it remained unchanged in patients with a stable or remitting disease course.
CONCLUSION
Nerve ultrasound can be used as a method to objectify the long‐term disease course in CIDP patients. The intranerve CSA variability is suitable for monitoring the clinical course of patients with CIDP.
We report the case of a 27‐year‐old patient with subacute anti‐neurofascin‐155 neuropathy with bifacial palsy, who showed excellent response to rituximab. We provide longitudinal data of established clinical scores, nerve conduction studies, antibody titers, and novel imaging methods (nerve ultrasonography and corneal confocal microscopy). Clinical and electrophysiological improvement followed the reduction of serum antibody titer and correlated with a reduction of corneal inflammatory cellular infiltrates whereas the increase in the cross‐sectional area of the peripheral nerves remained 12 months after first manifestation. Our findings suggest that novel techniques provide useful follow‐up parameters in paranodopathies.
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