[Diagnosis of peripheral neuropathies: syndromic, topographic, and etiological diagnoses]

A retrospective study was conducted to identify the syndromic, topographic and etiological diagnoses made for a group of 209 patients with peripheral neuropathies. Anamnesis and clinical-neurological examination were of fundamental importance for the syndromic and topographic diagnoses. Electromyography played an important role, especially with respect to the topographic diagnoses. The etiological diagnoses depended on additional complementary tests such as: blood glucose levels and blood glucose tolerance test; nutritional evaluation; family evaluation; nerve, skin, pharynx and maxillary sinus biopsies; qualitative tests for the presence of porphyrins in urine; urinary levels of delta-aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen; and radiological examinations. The most frequently encountered polyneuropathies were those consequent to alcoholism or to diabetes, and those of the acute demyelinating inflammatory or hereditary type. Among the cases of mononeuropathy, the most frequently diagnosed conditions were carpal tunnel syndromes, traumatic injury to the VII cranial nerve, and trigeminal neuralgias. Leprosy, brachial plexus injury and thoracic outlet compression syndrome predominated among the multineuropathies.