The difficulty in confirming clinical diagnosis of myasthenia gravis in a seronegative patient: a possible neurophysiological approach

Neuromuscul Disord. 2009 Dec;19(12):825-7. doi: 10.1016/j.nmd.2009.09.005. Epub 2009 Oct 28.

Abstract

In seronegative myasthenia gravis repetitive nerve stimulation and single-fibre EMG have a crucial diagnostic value but they may be negative, particularly in repetitive nerve stimulation studies. We report the case of a 43-year-old patient with generalized seronegative myasthenia gravis with negative 3 Hz repetitive nerve stimulation at Erb's point and voluntary single-fibre EMG in the orbicularis oculi. We also performed 6 and 12 Hz repetitive nerve stimulation at Erb and stimulated single-fibre EMG in the extensor digitorum communis and our findings were pathological. Our data suggest that, for individual patients with an atypical picture characterised by dissociation between a severe clinical pattern and no definite neurophysiological findings on conventional tests, repetitive nerve stimulation with a stimulation rate higher than 3 Hz and/or stimulated single-fibre EMG with an increasing stimulation rate may be helpful.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Electromyography / methods*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Muscle, Skeletal / physiopathology*
  • Myasthenia Gravis / blood
  • Myasthenia Gravis / diagnosis*
  • Myasthenia Gravis / physiopathology*
  • Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation / methods*