Immune trigeminal sensory neuropathy with esophageal achalasia: improvement with long-term immunotherapy. Muscle Nerve 2011 Feb;43(2):289-93
Date
01/22/2011Pubmed ID
21254098DOI
10.1002/mus.21889Scopus ID
2-s2.0-78751669175 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
We report a patient who developed subacute facial-predominant numbness and anhidrosis, oral incoordination, and esophageal achalasia with resultant cachexia. Great auricular nerve biopsy showed extensive epineurial perivascular inflammatory infiltrates. Sensation, sweating, and swallowing improved with pulse intravenous methylprednisolone given over 5 years. We suggest that the patient's deficits, including achalasia, were due to an immune-mediated sensory and autonomic neuropathy and that, in such cases, pathologic studies of the great auricular nerve may be diagnostically informative.
Author List
Figueroa JJ, Engelstad JK, Spinner RJ, Dyck PJAuthor
Juan Jose Figueroa MD Assistant Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgedBody Temperature Regulation
Esophageal Achalasia
Functional Laterality
Humans
Immunotherapy
Male
Trigeminal Nerve Diseases