Long-Term Nerve Conduction Changes after Successful Treatment of Poems Syndrome: Two Case Reports

Abstract

The POEMS syndrome is a rare disorder manifesting with polyneuropathy and plasma cell dyscrasia accompanied by other multisystemic symptoms. Sensorimotor demyelinating, axonal and mixed types of polyneuropathy are the most disturbing problems of patients often leading to disability. Here we present two patients successfully treated with autologous hematopoietic stem cells transplantation. Symptoms of the POEMS syndrome entirely resolved after the treatment. Nerve conduction studies were used to follow-up patients in complete remission for few years to analyze dynamics of nerves regeneration. Despite patients clinical performance improvement, the recovery of nerve conduction was not complete. In both patients nerves of upper limbs function was restored to the greater extent than in lower limbs. Improvement or stabilization of impairment of sensory nerves conduction was followed by similar motor nerves conduction dynamic in a given limb. In addition, worsening of the electrophysiological features was observed, completing the picture of complex and subtle changes of conduction after the POEMS syndrome treatment.