Syndrome of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and areflexia

The clinical details and results of some laboratory investigations are described in 4 patients who initially presented with severe external ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and areflexia. In 3 of these patients paresis of the limbs was restricted and minimal as in the syndrome first described by Fisher (1956). The fourth patient initially presented with similar symptoms but his illness progressed to a more typical form of acute idiopathic polyneuropathy, confirming Fisher's (1956) contention that this syndrome is an unusual variant of acute idiopathic polyneuritis.