Guillain-Barré syndrome: clinical analysis and pathological study on sural nerve biopsy of forty cases.

OBJECTIVE: To make clinical analysis and pathological study on 40-case Gullain-Barré syndrome with sural nerve biopsy. METHODS: A total of 90 cases of GBS were retrospectively analyzed of which sural nerve biopsies were performed in 40 cases. The type of GBS was determined according to Asbury and Ropper criteria, and its correlation with pathological findings was studied. RESULTS: In the 40 biopsy cases, demyelination was the predominant pathological change in 38 cases. Mild axonal degeneration was also seen in 13 of the 38 cases. Prominent axonal degeneration was seen in only 2 of 13 cases. The increased monocyte infiltration and varied capillary permeability were observed in 19 of 25 cases. Onion-bulb like changes were seen in 6 cases. CONCLUSION: We studied the correlation between paresthesia and the pathological findings of sural nerve biopsy and concluded that sural nerve biopsy is very useful in the diagnosis of GBS and its variant.