Guillain-barre syndrome presenting with bilateral facial nerve palsy

This case study is about an 11-year-old girl with bilateral facial weakness, abnormal taste sensation, and absent deep tendon reflexes of both knees and ankles. However, the muscle power of the lower and upper extremities across all muscle groups was normal. After 2 days, she developed paresthesia and numbness in the lower extremities. Other neurologic examinations, such as fundoscopic evaluation of the retina were normal with the muscle power of both upper- and lower-extremities intact. A lumbar puncture revealed albumincytological dissociation. EMG and NCV were in favor of Guillain-Barre syndrome, for which IVIG was prescribed and the abnormal sensations in the lower limbs rapidly improved. Bilateral facial diplegia without weakness and paresthesia is a variant of Guillain-Barre syndrome that mostly presents with acute onset, rapid progression with or without limb weakness, paresthesia, and decreased or absent DTR and albumin-cytological dissociation.