Disorders of the neuromuscular junction include myasthenia gravis (MG), Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), botulism, congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS), snakebite myasthenia, organophosphate poisoning (OPP), and hypermagnesium-induced paralysis. 1 1 Tick paralysis is excluded from this chapter because it is due to…
Disorders of Neuromuscular Hyperexcitability Muscle pain, stiffness, and cramps are symptoms frequently seen in neuromuscular practice. The differential diagnosis of these symptoms is wide and includes systemic disorders, neurologic disorders involving the pyramidal or extrapyramidal systems, and neuromuscular diseases (…
This chapter is devoted to focal disorders of the peripheral nervous system, including radiculopathies, plexopathies, and mononeuropathies. These conditions span a broad range of disorders, from radiculopathy due to Lyme disease and obturator neuropathy at the extremes of rarity to…
The disorders that fall under infectious, granulomatous, and toxic neuromuscular disorders are too numerous and broad to be covered comprehensively in a single chapter. To achieve the objectives of this book, we focus on conditions that are seen more frequently…
Introduction Autoimmune peripheral neuropathies (APNs) develop when immunologic tolerance to key antigenic sites on myelin, axon, nodes of Ranvier, or ganglionic neurons is lost ( , ). These conditions may manifest either acutely or in a more chronic manner; symptoms…
The authors thank Gerald Raymond for helpful feedback on this chapter. Overview of Inherited Neuropathies Hereditary neuropathy remains a major cause of neuropathy in patients referred to tertiary centers, estimated to represent 25% to 40% of all causes of neuropathy.…
Introduction Although spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and the congenital myopathies (CMs) have different etiologic features, they have similar clinical characteristics, and the decision to address them together is consistent with the similarities in the supportive management of these two groups.…
Many diseases specifically affect the motor neurons, ranging from infectious processes such as polio and West Nile viruses to hereditary conditions such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and Kennedy disease ( ). Radiation therapy can cause motor neuron degeneration many…
Genetic testing and development of genetically based therapies for hereditary neuromuscular disorders (NMD) have undergone an explosive growth over the last decade leading to widespread use of genetic testing in clinical practice and availability of novel genetically based therapies for…
Introduction Patients with neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) are at increased risk for complications during or immediately after surgery; they share a common risk of respiratory failure, atelectasis, and pneumonia and may have longer hospital stays and increased risks of morbidity, as…