Acute polyradiculoneuritis and dysautonomia: contribution of assaying catecholamines and their methoxylated metabolites.

Guillain-Barre syndrome is an acute demyelinating polyradiculoneuritis usua lly evolving with rapid, functionnal recovery. In severely paralysed patien ts, cranial nerve palsy and autonomic nervous system dysfunctions are commo n, Lesions of the spinal reefs predominate but segmentary demyelination of peripheral nervous system reflects various clinical subtypes. Twelve patien ts (42,8p. cent) had clinical dysautonomia. Ten had an increase of urinary methoxylated metabolites. Patients exempt of dysautonomia had normal biolog ical parameters. The elevated level of urinary methoxylated metabolites is statistically correlated to clinical dysautonomia and can be used as a biol ogical marker to monitoring demyelinating polyradiculoneuritis.