Three patients with ophthalmoplegia associated with Campylobacter jejuni

Cranial polyneuropathy is idiopathic in most patients. Idiopathic cranial polyneuropathy is an acute postinfectious syndrome, along with Guillain-Barré syndrome and Miller Fisher syndrome, in which the common preceding pathogen is Campylobacter jejuni. Serum anti-GQ1b antibodies are elevated in Miller Fisher syndrome and Guillain-Barré syndrome with ophthalmoplegia. Three patients with idiopathic cranial polyneuropathy with predominant ocular involvement are presented. C. jejuni isolated from stool specimens belonged to Penner serotypes O:4, O:23, and O:33. Serum anti-GQ1b antibodies were elevated in all patients but demonstrated rapid reduction concomitant with clinical recovery. All patients recovered completely. Because both preceding C. jejuni infection and elevated anti-GQ1b antibodies decreasing with time were seen in all patients, the pathogenesis of idiopathic cranial polyneuropathy with ophthalmoplegia may be similar to that of Miller Fisher syndrome.