myelopathy vs peripheral neuropathy

Anonymous
August 26, 2006 at 9:59 am

Kathi, if you have a lesion in your cervical spine causing the symptoms you describe, you have cervical Spondylitic Myelopathy which causes, as you describe, predominantly sensory features, usually with increased tendon reflexes. And at times a positive Lhermitte’s sign (flexing neck forward causes electric shocks in legs).

CIDP is a peripheral neuropathy nearly always with mixed sensory and motor (muscle weakness) features, except perhaps early CIDP and IgM gammopathy variant of CIDP, this one shows abnormal proteins in protein study by electrophoretic strip.

CIDP, by definition, shows reduced or absent tendon reflexes with signs of peripheral demyelination on electrical studies or nerve biopsy. Sorry about all the techi stuff.. DocDavid