Two cases of severe Guillain-Barré syndrome refractory to double-filtration plasmapheresis but responsive to plasma exchange with fresh frozen plasma (FFP)

Plasma exchange versus double filtration plasmapheresis in the treatment of Guillain-Barré syndrome

Previous studies have shown that both plasma exchange (PE) and double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) are effective treatments in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Whether PE and DFPP have similar effects in GBS is not clear. This report compares the therapeutic effectiveness of PE and DFPP in GBS patients treated in 3 major hospitals in northern Taiwan. A total of 102 patients were included in this survey, including 39 with PE (hereafter PE group) and 63 with DFPP (hereafter DFPP group). Both groups showed significant improvement of disability scores after treatment. However, time to onset of effect was shorter (5.6 +/- 3.5 versus 7 +/- 3.4 days, p < 0.05), and changes of disability scores were more prominent (1.3 +/- 0.8 versus 0.8 +/- 0.8, p < 0.05) in the PE group than the DFPP group. Mortality and outcome after 6 months were not different between the 2 groups. In conclusion, both PE and DFPP are effective treatments in GBS. PE was superior to DFPP in short-term effectiveness. The long-term effectiveness was not different.