Electrophysiological Changes After Human Muscle Tear: A Potential Confounder.

The goal of this prospective electrophysiologic study is to describe the chronological electromyographic findings observed in a human gastrocnemius muscle after a traumatic tear. A 30-yr-old man sustained a tear of the medial gastrocnemius. Needle electromyography was performed serially at 5, 15, and 26 wks after injury, with the contralateral gastrocnemius muscle serving as a control.

Maintenance plasma exchange treatment for muscle specific kinase antibody positive myasthenia gravis patients.

Background: Anti-muscle specific kinase antibody positive myasthenia gravis (MuSK MG) is often characterized by a relatively severe and progressive course, refractoriness to standard myasthenia gravis (MG) medications, and an increased risk of myasthenic crisis. We report here successful management of three MuSK MG patients using maintenance therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) treatment for up to 4.5 years.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a patient with a family history of huntington disease: genetic counseling challenges.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Huntington disease (HD) are generally considered to be distinct and easily differentiated neurologic conditions. However, there are case reports of the co-occurrence of ALS with HD. We present a 57-year-old male with a clinical diagnosis of sporadic ALS in the context of a family history of HD.

Stiff Person syndrome and other anti-GAD-associated neurologic disorders.

Antibodies directed against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) are present in many patients with stiff person syndrome and increasingly found in patients with other symptoms indicative of central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction, such as ataxia. The classic clinical features of stiff person syndrome include muscular stiffness with superimposed painful muscular spasms. Gait is often impaired.