Facets of acute myogenic tetraparesis

Acute tetraparesis challenges neurologic acute and intensive care in various ways. In principal it can be of neurogenic or myogenic origin. Traumatic or non-traumatic lesions of the spinal chord and polyradiculites are most frequent and for these aetiologies well evaluated guidelines do exist. Myogenic tetrapareses are rare and therefore challenging in particular. They might occur in dyskalemic paralysis, which can be primary or secondary myogenic. Primary causes are inherited periodic paralyses, secondary are acquired or inherited potassium wasting syndromes. In all cases paralysis is provoked by a depolarisati…