ABSTRACT
In northern China, annual epidemics of acute-onset flaccid paralysis diagnosed clinically Guillain-Barre syndrome have been observed for at least 20 years. These patients had a distinctive pattern that shares clinical and cerebrospinal fluid findings with demyelinating Guillain-Barr syndrome. But it was different from Guillain-Barr syndrome physiologically and pathologically. Electrodiagnostic studies showed normal motor distal latencies and limb conduction velocity, but reduced compound muscle action potential amplitude. When sensory nerve action potentials are elicitable, F waves are within the range of normal. This disorder was named acute motor axonal neuropathy characterized pathologically by motor nerve fiber degeneration of variable severity and by sparing of sensory fibers. Recovery is usually complete. We experienced a case of acute axonal motor neuropathy, and reported the case with a review of literature.