Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: two cases with cervical spinal cord compression.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a peripheral nerve disorder probably due to an immunological disturb. It evolves either in a steadily progressive or in a relapsing and fluctuating course. Weakness is mainly in the lower limbs proximally and distally. The electromyography is demyelinating. The cerebral spinal fluid protein is most of times elevated. Sometimes enlarged nerves are found. There are few cases described with spinal cord compression due to hypertrophic spinal nerve roots. Two patients (females, 66 and 67 years old) with diagnosis of a long standing CIDP are described. In the first one, the evolution was characterized by remission and relapsing course. The second patient had a chronic and progressive course. These patients presented after a long evolution a cervical spinal cord compression syndrome due to hypertrophic cervical roots. Neurologists must be aware of the possibility of development of spinal cord compression by enlarged spinal roots in patients with a long standing CIDP.