Guillain-Barré Syndrome with Respiratory Failure following Spine Surgery for Incomplete Cervical Cord Injury: A Case Report and Literature Review

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a condition where the body's immune system attacks the nerves. This often happens after a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection. This paper presents a case of an 87-year-old man who developed GBS after undergoing spine surgery for a cervical spinal cord injury. The patient's condition worsened, leading to respiratory failure and ventilator dependence, highlighting the importance of considering GBS in patients with spinal cord injuries who experience postoperative weakness.

• 1
  The patient developed GBS after spinal surgery, presenting with progressive limb weakness and paresthesia.
• 2
  CSF studies revealed albuminocytologic dissociation, and NCS indicated acute axonal polyneuropathy.
• 3
  The patient's family declined immune-modulatory therapy, and he progressed to respiratory failure, remaining ventilator-dependent until his death three years later.