Four cases of anti-ganglioside antibody-positive neuralgic amyotrophy with good response to intravenous immunoglobulin infusion therapy.

[neuralgic amyotrophy]

Neuralgic amyotrophy (NA ), which is an idiopathic disorder in the peripheral nerves , is characterized by an acute onset of unilateral pain in the proximal limbs followed by muscular weakness and wasting . Some cases of NA are thought to be related to immune pathogenic disorders such as Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS ). We report the case of four patients with NA who were positive for anti-N-acetylgalactosaminyl GD 1 a (anti-GalNAc-GD 1 a ) antibodies , had a preceding infection , and showed a good response to intravenous immunoglobulin infusion therapy . Anti-ganglioside antibodies , especially the anti-GalNAc-GD 1 a antibody , may be a useful marker for predicting response to immune therapy .