Landry Guillain-Barré Strohl syndrome in pregnancy: report of three cases treated with plasmapheresis.

Abstract

Landry Guillain-Barré Strohl syndrome complicating pregnancy is a rare occurrence, with only 31 cases previously reported in the obstetric literature. Cytomegalovirus as a potential etiologic agent has been documented in only two of these cases. In the past, symptomatic treatment of pregnant patients with severe and progressive symptoms has been associated with an unacceptably high rate of maternal morbidity and mortality. Recent studies have shown convincingly that plasmapheresis is the treatment of choice for nonpregnant patients acutely ill with Guillain-Barré syndrome, but data regarding its use in pregnancy are limited. We report three patients, two of whom had positive cytomegalovirus titers, in whom aggressive plasmapheresis prevented the need for ventilatory support and its inherent increase in maternal morbidity and mortality.