Sudden deafness and facial diplegia in guillain-barré syndrome: Radiological depiction of facial and acoustic nerve lesions

Abstract

We herein report a 26-year-old man with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) coexisting facial nerve palsy (FP) and deafness. He developed deafness, facial weakness, and limb weakness and numbness. Neurological examination showed facial diplegia, bilateral hypoacusia, areflexia and sensorimotor deficits in the distal limbs. The nerve conduction study findings supported the diagnosis of the demyelinating polyneuropathy. An audiogram revealed sensorineural hearing loss of 40-50 dB. Auditory brainstem responses disclosed no elicitation of waves I to IV on both sides. Magnetic resonance imaging depicted abnormal enhancement in bilateral facial and acoustic nerves. Physicians should pay more attention to auditory dysfunction in GBS patients with FP. © 2012 The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine.