Miller-Fisher syndrome during pregnancy

Abstract

Miller-Fisher syndrome is a rare, acute, autoimmune, demyelinating disorder which
is considered a variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome. The pathologic mechanism is
unclear, but acute demyelinating polyneuropathies may be triggered by bacterial
or viral infections, major surgical interventions, or vaccination. Pregnancy may be
a trigger of the immune response causing the onset of the syndrome. Miller-Fisher
syndrome is characterized by acute onset, with predominant involvement of the facial
and cranial nerves resulting in ophthalmoparesis, ataxia, and areflexia/hyporeflexia.
Diagnosis is based on clinical suspicion together with the determination of specific
ganglioside antibodies and other laboratory and imaging tests. Treatment consists
of intravenous immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis, together with supportive
measures. There are few reports of the syndrome occurring in pregnant women. A
case of Miller-Fisher syndrome during pregnancy is presented.