Value of ultrasound in diagnosis and treatment of Guillain-Barre syndrome

Abstract Objective This study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of high-frequency ultrasound in the early diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) by observing morphological alterations in peripheral nerves. We further summarized the characteristic ultrasonographic changes of peripheral nerves during clinical treatment and explored the feasibility of ultrasound for prognostic evaluation in patients with GBS. Methods 35 GBS patients were selected as the experimental group. High-frequency ultrasonic examinations of their peripheral nerves were performed at the time of admission, 7 days (n = 35), 1 month (n = 34), and 6 months (n = 30) after treatment, respectively. The results were compared with those of the control group to summarize the changing patterns, and the patients with poor prognosis were analyzed at the same time. Result At admission, the cross-sectional area (CSA) values of the C5 and C6 nerve roots, median nerve (wrist, elbow, and axillary segments), ulnar nerve (wrist, elbow, and axillary segments), sciatic nerve, tibial nerve, peroneal nerve, and sural nerve were significantly increased in GBS patients compared with the control group (all P < 0.05). At 6 months after treatment, among patients with a Hughes functional score greater than 3, the CSA of the C5 nerve root, axillary median nerve, and axillary ulnar nerve remained remarkably larger than that in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion Persistent thickening of the C5 nerve root, axillary median nerve, and axillary ulnar nerve at the 6-month follow-up may serve as independent adverse prognostic indicators for patients with GBS.