Major surgery with Guillain-Barré syndrome: a case report

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute demyelinating polyneuropathy characterized by progressive muscle weakness and areflexia. The pathogenesis of GBS is unknown, but it is generally believed to result from aberrant humoral and cellular immune responses against components of the peripheral nervous system. The overall prognosis of GBS is quite good with approximately 85% of survivors making a good functional recovery. When a diagnosis of GBS has been made, appropriate treatment should be started as early as possible. This may include supportive care in intensive care units, ventilatory assistance, monitoring of blood pressure, fluid status, cardiac rhythm, nutritional supports and medical therapy. Our patient reached maximum deficiency 3 weeks after the onset of GBS. Full recovery took 8 months. The occurrence of GBS after major surgery is rare. We believe that major surgical stress may be the potential triggering factor for the occurrence of GBS in this case report.