[The Parsonage-Turner syndrome and similar diseases. 29 cases]

Twenty nine cases of acute inflammatory brachial neuropathy were collected from 1969 to 1985. Only five cases could be considered as definite Parsonage Turner's "shoulder girdle" syndrome. The twenty four other cases were atypical with respect to this entity and were classified as symptomatic, evolutive, biological and/or associated forms. Symptomatic variants were present in twenty cases, consisting in distal or global motor deficit, or in painlessness. Evolution was atypical in four cases, with no recovery of motor deficit or relapsing course. Thirteen cases had abnormal CSF, usually with increase of protein content. Association with cutaneous manifestations or systemic diseases was found in nine cases. Beyond their individual differences, these twenty nine cases shared a common general profile of clinical presentation and evolution. This led to recognize the nosological relationships of these atypical cases with Parsonage-Turner's syndrome and to emphasize the similarities with Guillain-Barré syndrome.